Britain's Blair Urges Patience In Iran Standoff

British Prime Minister Tony Blair urged patience on Friday in dealing with Iran in a standoff over captured British sailors.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair urged patience on Friday in dealing with Iran in a standoff over captured British sailors, and said London would consult its key allies over the weekend.

"I really don't know why the Iranian regime keeps doing this. All it does is enhance peoples' disgust at captured personnel being paraded and manipulated in this way," Blair said. "It doesn't fool anyone."

Iranian television showed new footage of the captured Royal Navy sailors and marines on Friday, a week after they were seized.

"What the Iranians have to realise is that if they continue in this way they will face increasing isolation: the United Nations yesterday, the European Union today. We'll be talking to other key allies over the weekend," he said.

The U.N. Security Council adopted a statement on Thursday calling for a swift end to the crisis although British-drafted language condemning Iran was watered-down. European Union foreign ministers were meeting on Friday in Germany and expected to back Britain.

"We've just got to pursue this with the necessary firmness and determination but also patience because there is only one possible conclusion to this and that is that our personnel are released safe and sound."