The father of Lt. David Nartker confirmed to media sources that his 27-year-old son was one of the 10 sailors taken into custody and then released when two us vessels were stopped by Iranians in the Persian Gulf this week.
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The US government has sought to defuse diplomatic tensions with Iran over the detention of two US Navy vessels by Iranian forces, but has complained about video released of the incident. Farsi Island is a naval base for Iran’s naval component of the Revolutionary Guard Corps and is considered extremely sensitive.
The navy realised the boats were missing when they failed to appear shipside in the Gulf for refuelling on their way to Bahrain, one official said.
The sailors were later taken ashore by US Navy aircraft, while other sailors took charge of the boats and headed towards Bahrain, their original destination.
The IRGC said the sailors “did not show resistance” and would be released “as soon as the IRGC receives proper orders”, said IRGC Navy Commander Admiral Ali Fadavi on Iranian TV.
The video above, showing what is portrayed to be an unidentified American sailor, is an interview in English relating the events of the Americans falling into the hands of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
Following reports of the incident, Secretary of State John Kerry got on the phone with Iranian officials in Tehran attempting to gain the sailors’ release. Additional photographs and videos showed Iranians inspecting weapons aboard the boats.
“It’s cringe-worthy”, said Suzanne Maloney of the Brookings Institution, adding that despite the nuclear deal, Iran retains “a political environment in which it’s encouraged to have an antagonistic relationship with the United States”.
Lawmakers voted 191-106 to approve the Iran Terror Finance Transparency Act, spurning a veto threat from President Barack Obama. Vice President Joe Biden also forcefully rejected the need for any kind of apology.
Retired Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey, an NBC News military analyst, said the seizure of American boats is “very bad news” and highlights how the Navy may have failed to have surveillance on their boats. It set off a dramatic series of calls and meetings as USA officials tried to determine the exact status of the crew and reach out to Iranian leaders. The engine problem did not cause the boats to go off course but apparently prevented them from evading the Iranians once the crews realized they were inside Iran’s territorial waters.
Congressman Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) released the following statement Wednesday afternoon asking “what it will take for the Obama administration to realize Iran is not a partner in peace”.
They were held for 16 hours.
The political battle comes within days of “Implementation Day” under the Iran nuclear agreement, when worldwide officials are expected to certify that Iran has sufficiently downsized its nuclear program to trigger sanctions relief.
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Iranian naval authorities have released 10 U.S. sailors who unwittingly strayed into the Islamic Republic’s territorial waters in the Persian Gulf.
