American sailors told by Iranian captors to ‘act happy’

Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter admitted on Thursday that the USA sailors detained by Iran earlier this week had in fact strayed into Iranian waters by mistake.

But the sailors were released Wednesday after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had held several phone talks with his Iranian counterpart to demand for their immediate release.

The picture with the article shows our sailors on their knees on two well-armed U.S. Navy Riverine boats surrendering to Iranians on boats that look like something bass fishermen would use.

Kerry said Wednesday that he thanked the Iranians for their cooperation and quick response on the matter, adding that “this is a testament to the critical role diplomacy plays in keeping our country safe”.

But the rapid resolution also was a victory for moderate President Hassan Rouhani, who has promoted greater openness with the outside world despite strident opposition from deeply entrenched hard-liners at home.

According to the New York Times, Carter said the sailors were not on a covert mission and had known not to cross into Iranian sea territory but “obviously had misnavigated”.

Along with the navigational error, one of the boats experienced engine trouble, preventing them from evading the Iranians once the crews realised they were inside Iran’s territorial waters.

Cmdr. Kevin Stephens, a 5th Fleet spokesman, said the priority now would be determining “how exactly these sailors found themselves in Iran”.

The sailors’ detention has sparked fierce criticism of the Obama administration, Republican lawmakers describing the sailors’ arrest as more reason for the USA not to trust Iran in its implementation of the nuclear deal.