The Navy said in a statement that it has lost confidence in commander Eric Rasch, who was the executive officer of the coastal riverine squadron.
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Cmdr. Eric Rasch was relieved of his duties after U.S. Navy officials say he “failed to provide effective leadership”.
Rasch’s superior at the time of the incident, Commander Gregory Meyer, has been put on “administrative hold” pending a high-level review of the Navy’s ongoing investigation into the events that led to the boat’s seizure. Some Republican lawmakers criticized the administration’s response to the incident and called for stronger action after the Iranian government released video and photos of the USA sailors, showing one of them apologizing and another crying. It is hoped that the full investigation will be completed by the end of this month.
The incident raised tensions between the United States and Iran, primarily because of images Iran published of the soldiers kneeling with their hands on their heads during their detention.
One of their boats broke down after they sailed close to Farsi Island, and the crew were repairing the vessel when Iranian forces showed up and surrounded them.
The U.S. Navy announced on Thursday, May 12, 2016, that it had relieved Cmdr.
Rasch was responsible for training around 400 sailors.
The incident was a major embarrassment to the Navy, particularly since the sailors were videotaped and used for propaganda purposes in Iran.
The sailors had been scheduled to meet up with a US Coast Guard ship, the Monomoy, in worldwide waters to refuel.
While the boats were stopped and the crew was trying to assess the mechanical problem, two small Iranian craft carrying armed personnel approached.
In addition to his threats of swift retaliation, Rear Admiral Fadavi claimed on Monday that Iran would soon be producing torpedo / missile boats capable of speeds of up to 80 knots, reflecting comments made in March.
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“We have informed Americans that their Persian Gulf is an absolute evil”, he said, adding that American vessels and drones might not be given right of innocent passage in Iranian waters. However, under the command of Lt. David Nartker, 27, they went off course and headed nearly directly for Iran’s highly restricted island in the middle of the Persian Gulf.
