This picture released by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016, shows detained American Navy sailors’ boats in custody of the guards in the Persian Gulf Iran.
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While Kerry publicly thanked the Iranian government for its swift response and treatment of the sailors, some have expressed outrage over photos and videos circulating within Iranian press agencies that show sailors kneeling with hands on their heads as they surrendered to Iranian troops, and videos that appear to show one of the sailors apologizing to an unseen Iranian official. “But I do want to say how good it was of Secretary Kerry and his aggressive work to get those sailors and those folks back so quickly”. It is unclear under what circumstances the apology was made.
Secretary of State John Kerry used the personal relationship he has formed with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to work out the crews’ release.
Carter said the sailors apparently did not radio in to tell their commanders they were off-course before encountering the Iranians. Ten sailors were held overnight before being released back to the United States.
A new polemic video published by the Iranian State television appears to show some American sailors that were arrested on Tuesday.
The sailor in the video said he and his colleagues were detained after Iranian authorities approached them with “weapons drawn” as they drifted in the water. “It is clear that today is a testament to the critical role that diplomacy plays in keeping our country safe, secure and strong”.
Four Americans of Iranian origin remain held by Iran, including journalist Jason Rezaian of The Washington Post; former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati of Flint, Michigan; pastor Saeed Abedini of Boise, Idaho; and Siamak Namazi, a businessman and the son of a politician from the shah’s era.
The release of the 10 sailors and two US naval vessels Wednesday ended an episode that briefly threatened to mushroom into an worldwide confrontation.
A Time article in the aftermath of the capture of the American sailors also pointed out that it was the latest and arguably the most serious in a “series of provocations” undertaken by the Iranians and only lightly acknowledged by the Obama administration.
CNN reported the sailors received medical checks aboard the USS Anzio.
The Americans’ small Riverine boats were sailing between Kuwait and Bahrain on a training mission when the US lost contact.
On Wednesday, these predictions proved generally accurate, although the sailors’ brief detention was still enough to give rise to new criticisms from Obama’s opponents regarding an arguably conciliatory foreign policy and disregard for a growing list of Iranian provocations.
Meanwhile, another American crew took their vessels to Bahrain, their original destination and home base to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet.
“They did not report this navigational error at the time”. That being said, an investigation will be done to establish what exactly caused the entering of the boats to Iranian waters, as a spokesman for the Navy’s Fifth Fleet said to ABC News on Tuesday. This argument had already been raised in the wake of previous incidents such as the test-firing of ballistic missiles in violation of UN Security Council resolutions and the incident last month in which the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps fired a barrage of unguided rockets within 1,500 yards of an American aircraft carrier.
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Some conservatives in both countries, enemies since Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution, have criticized the deal that is due to be implemented in the coming days.
