One of them recognized that two Navy Boats from the US entered into Iranian waters and apologized with Iranian authorities while he affirmed that what happened was a misunderstanding. But Carter said the sailors never reported their navigational error to the Navy.
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Kerry learned of the incident around 12:30 p.m. EST as he and Defense Secretary Ash Carter were meeting their Filipino counterparts at the State Department, the official said.
“It may be that they were trying to sort it out at the time they encountered the Iranian boats”, Carter said.
The sailors, nine men and one woman, were held overnight on Iran’s Farsi Islandand released Wednesday.
Humiliating images of the sailors surrendering to the IRGC were broadcast on Iran’s state TV and then sent around the world.
A senior Navy official said the Navy was beginning the process of reintegrating the sailors after thorough medical, psychological and mental health examinations.
The small U.S. Navy boats seized Tuesday by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard could have had important intelligence taken from their onboard equipment, according to a member of the House Armed Services Committee.
Iran reached a high-stakes nuclear agreement with the USA and other powers past year, in which Iran agreed to dramatically limit its nuclear program in exchange for relief from crippling sanctions.
Following the sailors’ release Wednesday, Iran state media released video recording of the sailor saying, “It was a mistake”.
“I think you’ve got to give these guys the opportunity to tell us what was really going on and to get some context before we can know”, Carter said.
Several news sources said the sailors and their patrol boats were from Coastal Riverine Group 1 based in San Diego. “When you have a problem with the boat, (do) you apologize the boat had a problem?”
American officials did not dispute that the vessels appeared to have been in Iranian territorial waters when they were intercepted. At that point, commanders checked the GPS system tied to the boats and realized they were off course and inside Iranian waters.
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The officials were not authorized to discuss the sensitive incident publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity.
