The European Union on Wednesday welcomed the release of 15 British sailors kept captive by Iran.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, said "I am particularly happy for the sailors."

Steinmeier, speaking on behalf of EU, said he wished the British sailors, after being held in Iran for 13 days, could "soon be free and possibly be able to spend Easter with their families at home."

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday announced the release of the British sailors who had allegedly entered Iranian waters.

The British sailors were seized when they searched for smugglers off the Iraqi coast.

Source: Xinhua