Iran Frees All Detained US Navy Sailors

Secretary of Defense Ash Carter released a statement, saying, “I am pleased that ten U.S. Navy sailors have departed Iran and are now back in U.S. hands”.

Iranian officials have released 10 US crew members from “two small American naval vessels that strayed into Iranian waters”, leading to their detention by the country’s coastal forces, according to The Washington Post.

American officials said the sailors were detained near Farsi Island, which holds a large Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps naval base.

According to a statement from the U.S. Navy, the sailors were uninjured while in Iran’s custody, but it would launch an investigation into the series of events that caused their captivity.

US Secretary of State John Kerry (right) talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif in 2014. Those officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Meanwhile, Iran was expected to satisfy the terms of last summer’s nuclear deal in just days.

Iranian state television has shown dramatic images of the moment when Revolution Guard forces captured the sailors. The craft are not considered high-tech and don’t contain any sensitive equipment, so there were no concerns about the Iranians gaining access to them, they added. The IRGC said the sailors “did not show resistance” and would be released “as soon as the IRGC receives proper orders”, said IRGC Navy Commander Admiral Ali Fadavi on Iranian TV.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said earlier the group had been released after the USA apologized for the intrusion into its territory and gave assurances it would not happen again.

Tension over the deal have remained in the US, where it is opposed by Republicans, as well as Iran, where it has been opposed by conservative factions including officers of the Revolutionary Guard.

Iran claimed the boats had drifted into Iranian waters. “It is clear that today this kind of issue was able to be peacefully resolved and officially resolved, and that is a testament to the critical role that diplomacy plays in keeping our country safe, secure and strong”.

Cotton said those questions include where the sailors were intercepted, why they were detained instead of escorted into worldwide waters, whether sensitive equipment was compromised, and why the sailors were not permitted to contact their headquarters for the 16 hours they were held.

Biden said that the Iranians realized the USA sailors “were there in distress and said they would release them and released them like ordinary nations would do”.

The vessels were then transferred to Farsi Island.

Iran’s official state news agency, IRNA, reported that the boats were “rescued” by Iranian navy sailors.