Carter: ‘Navigational error’ led sailors to Iran waters

DUBAI/WASHINGTON Iran freed 10 U.S. sailors on Wednesday, a day after detaining them aboard two U.S. Navy patrol boats in the Gulf, bringing a swift end to an incident that had rattled nerves just before the expected implementation of a landmark nuclear accord.

The crew, operating two small Navy Riverine boats, was on a routine trip between Kuwait and Bahrain when the Iranians approached and eventually boarded the USA vessels, US officials said.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus saluted Secretary of State John Kerry’s work in negotiating the return of 10 US sailors held by Iran at a Thursday forum, and said he and other Navy officials have been in touch with the troops’ families.

The sailors were quickly released, however Iranian state media released a video of them being detained and apologizing for entering its waters.

The two United States boats strayed two kilometres into Iranian waters on Tuesday and were detained by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. “We don’t know that fully yet”, the top defense official said.

Farsi Island is a naval base for Iran’s naval component of the Revolutionary Guard Corps and is considered extremely sensitive.

The White House told reporters Thursday that President Barack Obama had seen the images of the detained sailors.

The nine American men and one woman were held in an Iranian base on Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf after being detained nearby on Tuesday. “No. And there was no looking for any apology”.

A search-and-rescue operation was mounted and at least one USA ship crossed into Iranian waters to look for the crew after alerting the Iranian navy of their intentions.

Defence officials said it remains unclear if the crew made a mistake or if the navigational equipment was to blame. “We’ll have more to say as we debrief”. Last month, Iran conducted a rocket test near US warships and boats passing through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, the route for about a fifth of the world’s oil.

Secretary of Defense Ash Carter released a statement regarding the release.

Confirming the sailors’s safe release, the Pentagon said there were no indications they were harmed while they were in Iranian custody. A Navy investigation will follow.

Yet both boats were able to exit the area once the sailors were released, raising questions about that explanation.