Iran releases 15 British prisioners.

TEHRAN, Iran —  Fifteen British sailors and marines seized by Iranian naval personnel have been pardoned and will be freed, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said at a press conference Wednesday, but he vowed his country would not tolerate invasions of its borders by any country.

CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and multiple other news agencies all over the Internet are reporting that Iran has released or is about to release the 15 British sailors that they have been holding as prisoners for over two weeks.

"I announce that the great people of Iran and the Islamic Republic, even having legal rights to try these military people, in honor of the prophet's birthday, will be freed as a gift to the people of the United Kingdom," Ahmadinejad said in a speech to reporters, clerics and civil servants at a small hall in Tehran.

Iranian state television said the crew would leave the country Thursday on a plane. However, a State Department official said to FOX News, "We are cautiously optimistic — but it ain't a done deal 'til they're out of Iranian airspace, just like the American hostages [in 1981]."