Des Browne, the Defence Secretary and MP for Kilmarnock & Loudon, yesterday admitted he had made mistakes over the naval hostages fiasco.

However, calls for his resignation petered out after the heads of the three Armed Forces offered him their public support.

During a robust exchange in the House of Commons, Mr Browne apologised for his role in the decision to allow the sailors to sell their stories to the press after their release, saying: "I have made a mistake."

Faced with oppostion barracking, he added: "It seems clear to me that I have expressed a degree of regret that can be equated with an apology. If you want me to say, I am sorry', I am happy to say, I am sorry'."

While Mr Browne conceded that questions about the capture of the 15 sailors by Iran's Revolutionary Guard, and the subsequent media operation were legitimate he said he had no truck with Sir Malcolm Rifkind's criticism of the detained sailors' behaviour.

Sir Malcolm, a former defence secretary, said: "Service personnel have constantly in the past been instructed in what they should do when they find themselves in the hands of the enemy.

And asked: "Are you taking action to discover whether these service personnel were given proper instructions as to how they should behave?."

Mr Browne, who believes the detainees behaved well within the bounds of what is considered appropriate behaviour, replied: "I do not intend to get into criticising from the comparative comfort of here, the way in which young people behave in circumstances.

"I accept the broader points you make. I can assure you that all the service personnel involved, all but one of them were given the appropriate training, as far as I am aware about the way in which they should conduct themselves in those circumstances," he said.

Mr Browne announced two inquiries: the first, into the operational circumstances and factors leading to the capture of the 15 personnel.

Under Sir Rob Fulton, of the Royal Marines, the Governor of Gibraltar, the inquiry will cover all operational aspects, including risk and threat assessment, strategic and operational planning, tactical decisions, rules of engagement, training, equipment and resources.

The second, a review of the media handling, will seek to identify lessons and make recommendations on how to manage the complex issues involved. Aides later admitted that the inquiry was designed to make sure that the fiasco would not be repeated.

Dr Liam Fox, the Shadow Defence Minister, condemned Mr Browne for returning to his constituency on the day of the controversy without fully appreciating the importance of the decision he was making.

Dr Fox complained that the MoD's decision to suspend Navy patrols in the Northern Gulf undermined the UK's resolve. "The decision to stop the Royal Navy boarding shipping in the light of this incident sends exactly the wrong signals of our intentions. Doesn't anyone in the government feel responsible for the national humiliation we have suffered at the hands of the pariah regime of Iran?," he asked.

Elfyn Llwyd, Plaid Cymru's Westminster leader, suggested that Mr Browne should have gone back to the military top brass and told them to remind these young people of their obligations and order them not to speak to the media.