WASHINGTON — Ten U.S. Navy sailors who were traveling from Kuwait to Bahrain yesterday when contact was lost with their pair of small craft are back in U.S. hands.
“I want to personally thank Secretary of State John Kerry for his diplomatic engagement with Iran to secure our sailors’ swift return,” Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in a statement today. “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.”
Secretary of State John Kerry also weighed in in the release:
I’m very pleased that our Sailors have been safely returned to U.S. hands.
As a former Sailor myself, I know the importance of naval presence around the world and the critical work being done by our Navy in the Gulf region. I’m proud of our young men and women in uniform and know how seriously they take their responsibilities to one another and to other mariners in distress.
I want to express my gratitude to Iranian authorities for their cooperation in swiftly resolving this matter.
That this issue was resolved peacefully and efficiently is a testament to the critical role diplomacy plays in keeping our country safe, secure, and strong.
A senior state department official also said “I can say unequivocally that the U.S. Government did not apologize to the Government of Iran in any way during the course of this. We did provide context. We did explain that this was basically a routine transit mission, that it had no way – had in no way intended to end up anywhere on Farsi Island or in Iranian territorial waters.”
A U.S. Naval Forces Central Command news release said the sailors departed Farsi Island shortly before 4 a.m. EST aboard the two riverine command boats they had been operating when they lost contact with the U.S. Navy. The sailors later were transferred ashore by U.S. Navy aircraft, the news release said, and other sailors took charge of boats and continued transiting toward Bahrain.
U.S. soldiers at moment of detentionJUST IN: Video shows U.S. sailors the moment they were detained by Iran http://cnn.it/1UOVdvP
Posted by CNN on Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Trump said these people are worthless and DON’T PAY THEM !
Kerry is a idiot. Nough said.
And you base this comment on your vast years of military experience?
Hey Peter, I base it on Kerry being a idiot. They can’t even get their lies straight. And, what do you know about the military. It is not 5 east.
I am not Peter, but then you are clueless on pretty much everything.
You of all people calling anyone else an idiot is priceless.