Iran releases 10 detained USA sailors

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

The sailors had reportedly entered Iranian waters after their boats experienced a mechanical failure while making a trip between Kuwait and Bahrain.

Controversy is exploding over the release of photos and videos showing the arrests of 10 USA sailors by the Iranian military.

A crisis over the seizure of two United States patrol boats in the Persian Gulf was averted when Iran returned the craft and released their crews, as Pentagon officials struggled to explain how they ended up near a major Iranian naval base.

In the end, Iran released the USA sailors – nine men and one woman – on Wednesday.

The video showed weapons and ammunition confiscated from the sailors, who were seen eating food provided by the Iranians.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter, speaking at Fort Campbell Wednesday, told Army soldiers that the sailors were safe and assured them “our highest commitment is to the safety of all of you”. “We apologize for our mistake”, one crew member says in the video clip.

“We simply can’t allow ground, air or naval units to be seized by a foreign hostile power”, McCaffrey said on MSNBC.

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

This picture released by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Jan. 13, 2016, shows detained American Navy sailors in an undisclosed location in Iran.

A senior Navy official said the Navy was beginning the process of reintegrating the sailors after thorough medical, psychological and mental health examinations.

“I think you’ve got to give these guys the opportunity to tell us what was really going on and to get some context before we can know”, Carter said.

American officials did not dispute that the vessels appeared to have been in Iranian territorial waters when they were intercepted.

“What matters most right now, however, is that our sailors are back safely”.