Updates:
The U.S. Navy:
MANAMA, Bahrain (NNS) — Ten U.S. Navy Sailors safely returned to U.S. custody today, after departing Iran. There are no indications that the Sailors were harmed during their brief detention.
The Sailors departed Farsi Island at 8:43 a.m. (GMT), aboard the two Riverine Command Boats (RCB) that they had been operating when they lost contact with the U.S. Navy. The Sailors were later transferred ashore by U.S. Navy aircraft, while other Sailors took charge of the RCBs and continued transiting toward Bahrain, the boats’ original destination.
The Navy will investigate the circumstances that led to the Sailors’ presence in Iran.
Secretary of State John Kerry on the U.S. Navy Sailors’ Departure From Iran:
I’m very pleased that our Sailors have been safely returned to U.S. hands.
As a former Sailor myself, I know the importance of naval presence around the world and the critical work being done by our Navy in the Gulf region. I’m proud of our young men and women in uniform and know how seriously they take their responsibilities to one another and to other mariners in distress.
I want to express my gratitude to Iranian authorities for their cooperation ?in swiftly resolving this matter.
That this issue was resolved peacefully and efficiently is a testament to the critical role diplomacy plays in keeping our country safe, secure, and strong.
UPDATE:
The Department of Defense:
Iranian authorities have assured U.S. officials that the crews of two small U.S. Navy craft will be allowed to continue traveling from Kuwait to Bahrain, a senior defense official said.
Speaking on background, the official said contact was lost with the two vessels earlier today.
“We subsequently have been in communication with Iranian authorities, who have informed us of the safety and well-being of our personnel,” the official said. “We have received assurances the sailors will promptly be allowed to continue their journey.”
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Original Post:
Several news sources are reporting that two U.S. Navy boats with 10 American sailors aboard have been seized by Iranian military forces and are being detained on Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf.
The sailors — nine men and one woman — were on a training mission around noon ET when one of the boats may have experienced mechanical failure and drifted into Iranian-claimed waters, officials added. Iran’s coast guard took them into custody.
“At this point, we’re still monitoring the situation and it’s not entirely clear what happened,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on MSNBC, adding that Iranian authorities confirmed that the sailors are safe.
Earnest said there remained no exact time frame for when the sailors would be let go, but didn’t expect a long delay.
Following reports of the incident, Secretary of State John Kerry spoke with Iranian officials in Tehran by phone, attempting to secure the sailors’ release.
One senior official told NBC News the Iranians understand it was a mistake and have agreed to release the Americans in international waters within hours.
Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook: “We have been in contact with Iran and have received assurances that the crew and the vessels will be returned promptly.”
Two U.S. naval craft were en route from Kuwait to Bahrain when they disappeared from the Navy’s scopes. The incident marks the latest run-in between Iranian and U.S. crews. In late December, Iranian gunboats fired unguided missiles almost 1,000 yards away from the aircraft carrier the USS Harry S. Truman.
A U.S. official said the boats were small riverine variants and may have run out of gas or had mechanical issues and were believed to have been within 12 nautical miles of Iran when they broke down.
(Added)
An official said that the boats appeared to have drifted into Iranian territorial waters after one of them experienced mechanical problems. The boats were moving between Kuwait and Bahrain when contact was lost late in the afternoon, a Defense Department official said.
It was unclear how contact had been lost, and Navy officials in Washington said they were trying to determine what had happened. One official said the two vessels had failed to make a scheduled rendezvous with a larger ship to refuel.
Secretary of State John Kerry, an official said, called his Iranian counterpart, with whom he spent months negotiating a nuclear accord. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the issue.
The semifofficial Fars news agency in Iran said that the boats had illegally traveled more than a mile into Iranian territorial waters near Farsi Island, in the Persian Gulf. It said that forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Navy had confiscated GPS equipment, which would “prove that the American ships where ‘snooping’ around in Iranian waters.”
Finally, CNN News says there are reports that the 10 Americans may be released in the morning.
Not the kind of news one would want as the President prepares to deliver his last State of the Union address.
Stay Tuned
Lead photo: Via NBC News: Riverine Command Boat 802, assigned to Combined Task Group 56.7, conducts patrol operations in the Arabian Gulf in Oct. 2015. Two small riverine vessels of this type were detained on Iran’s Farsi Island. MC2 Torrey W. Lee / U.S. Navy
