(Adds details)

TEHRAN, March 24 (Reuters) - The 15 British navy personnel who were detained in the Gulf on Friday have been transferred to Tehran to explain their "aggressive action", the semi-official Fars news agency said on Saturday.

Iranian officials were not immediately available to comment on the report, which did not give a source for the information.

Fars said the British navy personnel, who it said included some women, were transferred to the Iranian capital around noon local time on Saturday.

Iranian forces seized the British personnel on Friday in the mouth of the waterway that separates Iran and Iraq, triggering a diplomatic crisis at a time of heightened tension over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

The foreign ministry in Tehran says they entered Iranian waters illegally, but Britain says they were detained in Iraqi waters and have demanded their release.

AlertNet news is provided by