Iran has released five British sailors who had been detained by Iranian forces after their yacht allegedly strayed into its waters, Iran's English-language satellite channel Press TV reported Wednesday.

"Five Britons, who have been detained after their illegal entrance into the waters of the Islamic Republic near Siri island, were freed a few hours ago," the television quoted Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) as saying.

The IRGC said that investigations showed that the five British nationals entered the Iranian waters by mistake.

"They gave the necessary commitments and were freed afterwards," it added.

Commander of the IRGC's naval forces, Ali Reza Tangsiri, confirmed on Tuesday that the five British nationals had been detained by his forces, saying that confronting foreign forces in the Gulf is among the IRGC's duties.

British media reported Monday that five British sailors were detained by the Iranian Navy on Nov. 25 while sailing a yacht from Bahrain to Dubai, where it was due to take part in an international race.

Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office issued a statement about the incident Monday night and admitted the boat may have strayed into Iranian territorial waters.

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