United States sailor apologizes in Iran propaganda video

Even with the release of the sailors, questions still remained, including whether the sailors or any USA officials apologized for the incident.

“The detained USA sailors, after it was realized that their entry into Iran’s territorial waters was unintentional, and after the sailors apologized, were released into worldwide waters in the Persian Gulf”.

“The IRGC is loving this”, Toumaj said in an email, referring to the series of videos that have been released Wednesday purporting to show the arrest.

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

A video released Wednesday by the Fars news agency appears to show the 10 sailors surrendering, as they knelt on the deck of the riverine boats, hands on their heads.

Kerry “made it clear” that the most important thing was for the sailors to be released immediately and unharmed, the official said. “Let’s learn from this latest example”, Zarif wrote.

The Fifth Fleet said an investigation of the incident was underway but retired Navy Commander Chris Harmer, who served in the Fifth Fleet, said “there’s no excuse for U.S. Navy sailors to allow Iranian sailors to board their vessel”.

“The top leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran is not looking for any tension with America”, said Nader Karimi Joni, a journalist aligned with Iran’s reformists who once served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

The Americans’ small Riverine boats were sailing between Kuwait and Bahrain on a training mission when the US lost contact.

It turned out to be the global crisis that wasn’t.

The sailors were then brought to the aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman for additional medical assessments.

The Pentagon said there were no indications the sailors were harmed while in Iranian custody. IRGC Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi said earlier the boats had strayed due to a broken navigation system.

“I think we can all imagine how a similar situation might have played out three or four years ago”, Kerry said about this quickly resolved situation.

But while critics were tweeting, Secretary of State John Kerry was busy working with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif to get the Americans released.

Kerry thanked Iran for its cooperation in the release of the sailors.

“The Navy has a lot to answer for here”, said Harmer, adding that the incident “showed professional incompetence at every level”.

“That was our fault and we apologize for our mistake”, the unidentified sailor is shown saying in English.

Iranian and US officials said a mechanical problem apparently caused the vessels to enter Iranian territory.

“This incident in the Persian Gulf, which probably will not be the American forces’ last mistake in the region, should be a lesson to troublemakers in the US Congress”, Major General Hassan Firouzabadi was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency.

The calls, which took place over a period of at least 10 hours, began at 1:00 p.m. ET after Kerry had a chance to discuss the American understanding of the situation with Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford and National Security Adviser Susan Rice.

“We built a global coalition, with sanctions and principled diplomacy, to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran”.