The sailors were already released after the inconvenience took place.
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USA officials had said on Tuesday that Tehran assured them the crew and vessels would be returned safely and promptly.
” Around the world, the U.S. Navy routinely provides assistance to foreign sailors in distress, and we appreciate the timely way in which this situation was resolved”.
The search and rescue was “simultaneous” with diplomatic outreach, one of the US officials said, and searchers did locate the missing vessels at Farsi Island, but could see the sailors were not in the boats.
“Our technical investigations showed the two US Navy boats entered Iranian territorial waters inadvertently”, the Guards said.
Iran released video of troops detaining USA sailors before taking them into custody to the Persian Gulf’s Farsi Island.
While the nine men and one woman sailor were not physically mistreated during their captivity, the latest news from the defense official is the first indication that they were under some kind of direct mental duress from the Iranians.
“It may be that they were trying to sort it out at the time they encountered the Iranian boats”, Carter said.
One US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it was clear that the boats did not run out of fuel. The Navy said the sailors are continuing to go through a “reintegration” process that includes physical examinations in addition to a debriefing to determine the details of the incident.
Secretary of Defense Ash Carter released a statement regarding the release.
USA sailors are pictured on a boat with their hands on their heads at an unknown location.
Yet both boats were able to exit the area once the sailors were released, raising questions about that explanation.
Kirby said he wanted to give the sailors a chance to describe the circumstances of their capture, but said it was inappropriate for Iran to use the video of the sailors for propaganda purposes.
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Of course this sparked fury from many who believed that Iran was taking advantage of Obama’s alleged weakness in dealing with them. Kerry credited the quick resolution to the “critical role diplomacy plays in keeping our country secure and strong”.
