The U.S. military has said that mechanical trouble with one of the boats caused them to drift into Iranian territorial waters near the island, where they were picked up by Iran.
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Senior US officials said they had received assurances from Tehran that the crews – taken to Farsi Island, would be allowed to sail onwards come first light.
The commander of the naval force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards today said he was “awaiting orders” on the fate of 10 detained U.S. sailors and that Tehran wanted an apology.
It says the sailors – nine men and a woman – were held by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
The U.S. naval craft were en route from Kuwait to Bahrain when they disappeared from the Navy’s scopes.
“We subsequently have been in communication with Iranian authorities, who have informed us of the safety and well-being of our personnel”, said the official, who was not authorized to speak on the record.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has urged the U.S.to apologize for “trespassing” its waters, an Iranian military official said.
Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte said it was “unthinkable that the administration would lift sanctions and permit Iran to receive billions of dollars in sanctions relief under the nuclear agreement, even as the regime brazenly violates its worldwide obligations and rushes to develop the ballistic missile capability to deliver a potential nuclear weapon to the United States”.
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump, at an Iowa rally Tuesday night, also lamented what he viewed as Iran’s lack of respect for the US.
A US defense official said the small boats may have run out of gas or had mechanical issues, and were believed to have been within 12 nautical miles of Iran when they broke down.
The capture of the Navy sailors was quickly seized on by US opponents of the nuclear deal as the latest in a series of provocations by Tehran since the deal was agreed. “Now, maybe by the time we get out, we get them back”.
The sailors, held by the Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), “acted unprofessionally” after they were captured a day earlier, the state-owned Press TV said.
The quick resolution stood in contrast to Iran’s March 2007 seizure of 15 British sailors and marines who were searching for a merchant ship in the Persian Gulf. “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”, Carter said. Sources claim that 10 U.S. Navy sailors were taken into custody and are expected to be released.
Last year, Iranian patrol boats seized the Maersk Tigris, a cargo ship sailing under the Marshall Islands flag, which meant it was under USA protection.
Photos posted online by the Iranian News Agency show the US service members sitting shoeless on carpets in a room, leaning against cushions on a wall.
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Some conservatives in both countries have criticised the deal that is due to be implemented in the coming days.
