Iran criticises US over Caspian comments

Iranian radio has accused the United States of meddling in Caspian Sea affairs, after the US state department expressed concern at an incident on Monday in which an Iranian navy ship threatened two Azeri oil exploration vessels.

A US State Department spokesman said the threat of force was inconsistent with the peaceful process underway to demarcate the Caspian Sea and had the potential to be a very serious incident.

Azerbaijan has made a formal protest to Iran.

It says the ships which had been leased by the oil company, BP Amoco, were working in an Azeri section of the Caspian.

But Iran says it is a disputed area and that it has warned Azerbaijan not to explore for oil there before.

The five countries that border the Caspian are due to meet in Turkmenistan later this year to resolve the long-running dispute over how to share out the sea and its big oil and gas reserves.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service