( IranMania ) - Iran's semi-official Fars news agency published new photographs of the captured British sailors showing them "relaxing" in tracksuits and playing chess on a carpet, AFP reported.
A photograph showed the sole female detainee, Faye Turney, without the Islamic headscarf she had worn in previous appearances. It was also the first time the sailors had been seen out of military fatigues.
One image showed six sailors sitting on a carpet around a bowl of food smiling and laughing. Another showed two bent in concentration over a chess board.
"These latest pictures show their ideal conditions. They are having fun, relaxing and enjoying food and coffee while playing chess," the news agency said.
"It looks like these sailors are happy with spending time in good conditions under the Iranians' Islamic kindness instead of operating in the hard conditions of the Persian Gulf," it added.
The publication of the pictures came amid increasingly upbeat comments by Iranian officials about the prospects for a diplomatic solution to the crisis without any trial of the 15 sailors and marines who were captured on March 23.
Iran also appears to have halted the broadcast of televised "confessions" by the naval personnel that they intruded into Iranian waters. No such videos were broadcast on Tuesday.