Olathe company (Garmin) has a role in the dispute between Great Britain and Iran.

A $160 gadget manufactured by Olathe’s Garmin International may play a key role in the dispute between Great Britain and Iran.

A Garmin eTrex Legend, a portable navigation device, was used to confirm the location of an incident in which 15 British sailors and marines were detained.

Iranian authorities contended that two British boarding craft inspecting an Indian merchant vessel were in Iranian waters and seized the British crew.

British Vice Admiral Charles Style on Wednesday showed a photo of a Garmin eTrex Legend used by a British helicopter to show that the Indian vessel and the British boarding crews were within Iraqi waters at the time.

The coordinates from the Garmin navigator were used to back GPS readings taken by the British craft and the Indian vessel, Style said. The readings showed that the vessel was within Iraqi waters.