‘Navigation error’ led USA sailors to Iranian waters – Carter

Iran seized two U.S. Navy boats, after they allegedly broke down and drifted into Iranian territorial waters.

Ten sailors aboard the two CB-90 patrol boats were taken into custody earlier this week, when they approached the Iranian naval base on Farsi Island.

The father of Lt. David Nartker confirmed it was his 27-year-old son who appeared in the video apologizing after two USA vessels sailed into Iranian waters in the Persian Gulf and 10 sailors were taken into custody. According to news reports, the well-armed warships either suffered mechanical or navigational difficulties which caused them to enter Iranian territory (although it may well have been a game of cat-and-mouse to test the Iranian response).

Carter skirted a question on the video showing one of the USA sailors apologizing for straying into Iranian waters.

In a interview with Fusion’s Jorge Ramos, Carter said he was “grateful” the sailors had been returned safely after being detained by Iranian Revolutionary Guard Forces overnight Tuesday.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said the nine men and one woman captured are going through a debriefing. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., a former U.S. Marine and veteran of the Iraq war, said it would be “naive” to think they didn’t.

In similar remarks on Thursday, Chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi said the USA sailors’ case showed that the Persian Gulf’s security is in Iran’s control.

Video footage showed the Navy personnel with their hands on their heads as they were apprehended.

Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle expressed outrage over Iran’s detention of 10 U.S. Navy personnel and what was seen as a significant humiliation of the United States due to weak leadership from the Obama administration.

Christie also jumped on Obama over Iran. Kerry recently said the deal’s implementation was “days away”. A defense official told Stars and Stripes that the apology was something that “was being looked into”, but could not elaborate.

In a statement Wednesday, Carter said he wanted to thank U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for his “diplomatic engagement” on the issue.

Carter was careful not to assign initial blame to the sailors, their equipment or their commanders for possibly giving the crews the wrong navigation plan until the Navy can complete an investigation, which was already underway.

One of the boats began to have its engine “run roughly” during the transit from Kuwait to Bahrain, according to the details of what the crew has said.