"I deeply apologize for entering your waters," the British sailor, identified as Nathan Thomas Summers, said in an interview with the Al-Alam, Iran's state-run Arabic-language television.

"We trespassed without permission," he said.

Summers, who wore camouflage fatigues, was shown sitting with another British serviceman and Faye Turney, the only female among the 15 British naval personnel seized by Iranian forces last week.

His confession came after Turney was shown on Iran's television earlier this week admitting "illegal entry" into Iranian waters.

"We illegally trespassed on Iran's territorial waters and were arrested by the Iranian border guards and I would like to apologize to the Iranian people for the issue," Iran's official IRNA news agency quoted Summers as saying.

He said the Iranian forces captured the British sailors and marines in a friendly manner and treated them well.

"Since we were arrested on March 23, 2007, everything has been OK and I am quite satisfied with the current conditions," Summers said.

"Over the past days, Iranian forces have shown us a very friendly and good behavior and no ill treatment has been observed," he added.

Meanwhile, Summers also apologized for the illegal entry into Iran of British forces in 2004, according to IRNA.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair condemned Iran on Friday for releasing new footage of the British naval serviceman confessing to entering the Central Asian state "without permission."

Blair told reporters in Manchester that the "parading and manipulation" of British service personnel would "fool no one," and would only "enhance people's sense of disgust with Iran."

Britain's Foreign Office on Friday also denounced Iran for showing footage of the detained naval serviceman confessing to illegally entering Iranian waters.

"Using our military personnel in this way for purposes of propaganda is outrageous," a Foreign Office spokesman said.

Last Friday, 15 British naval personnel were seized by Iranian forces when they were patrolling off the Iraqi borders.

Iran has insisted that the British boats illegally entered its territorial waters. But Britain said its soldiers were in Iraqi territorial waters.

The UN Security Council in a statement on Thursday called for early solution of the 15 British sailors detained by Iran.