Iran frees US sailors whose boats strayed into its waters

At first, Iran demanded an apology and denounced the “unprofessional” behavior of USA warships patrolling in the Persian Gulf. “It is clear that today this kind of issue was able to be peacefully resolved, and efficiently resolved, and that is a testament to the critical role diplomacy plays in keeping our country safe, secure and strong”. The official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, said they are being debriefed and getting medical exams but were not harmed.

“No, there was no apology, nothing to apologise for… and there’s no looking for any apology”, Biden said on CBS’s “This Morning” programme.

In a statement carried by state television, the IRGC said the sailors were released in global waters after they apologised.

“This administration’s craven desire to preserve the risky Iranian nuclear deal at all costs evidently knows no limits”, said John McCain. He declined to provide details on the identities of the 10 sailors, reportedly including one woman.

The two United States boats strayed two kilometres into Iranian waters on Tuesday and were detained by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

The Navy said it would investigate “the circumstances that led to the sailors’ presence in Iran”.

“We need to rebuild our military, and this President has let it diminish to a point where tin pot dictators like the mullahs in Iran are taking our Navy ships”, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said.

Iran is expected to satisfy the terms of the nuclear deal in just days.

As it happened, the official said, Kerry already had planned to speak to Zarif at about 12:45 p.m.as part of their regular contact, though this conversation “obviously was going to take on a different nature and a different degree of importance”.

Ten US sailors on fully armed ships, who were captured by an Iran warship for trespassing, were released on Wednesday.

Some Republican seeking the White House Thursday night declared their willingness to go to war if Iran seizes USA sailors-as Tehran did earlier this week-during their Presidency. Had the sailors wandered into the waters of any other country that’s supposed to be friendly to the United States, they would have been given a warning. The Pentagon is trying to confirm reports that one of the U.S. sailors spoke on bridge-to-bridge radios to the U.S. Navy during the incident. It remains to be seen how much of the $100 billion Iran’s government will devote to regional destabilization vs. how much it spends on rehabilitating its sanctions-scarred economy and satisfying the demands of Iranians under 30, who represent more than 60 percent of the population.

“The Geneva Convention applies for a time of war between nations, and we’re not at war with Iran”, State Department spokesman John Kirby said.

The sailors were later taken ashore by US Navy aircraft, while other sailors took charge of the boats and headed towards Bahrain, their original destination.

In his statement, Kerry expressed his “gratitude to Iranian authorities for their cooperation?in swiftly resolving this matter”.

Not only were those on the two boats arrested, they were also photographed and their images were circulated quickly and widely by Iranian official propaganda systems.