Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Farsi Island

Ten US sailors detained after their boats drifted into Iranian waters

Tehran said the crew and vessels will be returned safely and promptly.

Updated 10.24pm

Commander, Task Group (CTG) 56.7_151103-N-CJ186-832 File photo of riverine boats. U.S. Naval Forces Central Command / U.S. Fifth Fleet U.S. Naval Forces Central Command / U.S. Fifth Fleet / U.S. Fifth Fleet

IRAN IS HOLDING 10 US Navy sailors and their two small Navy boats after the boats had mechanical problems and drifted into Iranian waters, but American officials have received assurances from Tehran that they will be returned safely and promptly.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told The Associated Press that the riverine boats were moving between Kuwait and Bahrain when the US lost contact with them.

US officials said that the incident happened near Farsi Island, situated in the Persian Gulf. They said that some type of mechanical trouble with one of the boats caused them to run aground and they were picked up by Iran.

The sailors were in Iranian custody on Farsi Island at least for some time, but it’s not certain where they are now.

PastedImage-13677 The location of Farsi Island. Screenshot Screenshot

The semi-official Iranian news agency, FARS, said the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s navy has detained 10 foreign forces, believed to be Americans, and said the sailors were trespassing in Iranian waters. FARS also reported that one of the 10 sailors was a woman.

“We have been in contact with Iran and have received assurances that the crew and the vessels will be returned promptly,” Cook said.

The incident came amid heightened tensions with Iran, and only hours before President Barack Obama was set to deliver his final State of the Union address to Congress and the public. It set off a dramatic series of calls and meetings as US officials tried to determine the exact status of the crew and reach out to Iranian leaders.

Secretary of State John Kerry, who forged a personal relationship with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif through three years of nuclear negotiations, called Zarif immediately on learning of the incident, according to a senior U.S. official.

Kerry “personally engaged with Zarif on this issue to try to get to this outcome”, the official said.

Kerry learned of the incident around 12:30pm EST (5.30pm GMT) as he and Defense Secretary Ash Carter were meeting their Filipino counterparts at the State Department, the official said.

The officials were not authorised to discuss the sensitive incident publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity.

The incident came on the heels of an incident in late December when Iran launched a rocket test near US warships and boats passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, Iran is expected to satisfy the terms of last summer’s nuclear deal in just days. Once the UN nuclear agency confirms Iran’s actions to roll back its program, the United States and other Western powers are obliged to suspend wide-ranging oil, trade and financial sanctions on Tehran. Kerry recently said the deal’s implementation was “days away.

Originally published 9.37pm

Read: Inside the country where sharing photos can mean jail >

Author
Associated Foreign Press
Your Voice
Readers Comments
67
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.