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After hours of interrogation, Iran says 10 captured U.S. sailors “released in international waters after they apologized”

Jan 13, 2016 9:26 am By Robert Spencer

There is clearly more to this story than is being told, but even what we know establishes it as a humiliating repudiation of Obama’s Iran policies. Those who said that his nuclear deal would only embolden the Iranians and make them more aggressive and hostile than ever are being proven correct.

Sailors

“Pictured: Ten U.S. sailors captured by Iran as Revolutionary Guard RELEASES them after ‘snooping’ row – including one female who was forced to wear a headscarf,” by Wills Robinson and Jennifer Newton, Daily Mail, January 13, 2016 (thanks to Pamela Geller):

These are the 10 American sailors who were captured by Iran after being accused of snooping when their boats drifted into Iranian waters – but they have now been freed.

The country’s Revolutionary Guards confirmed in a statement on state television that they had been released just a day after they were detained.

The Pentagon lost contact with two small riverine vessels in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday afternoon when they were seized by the Islamic republic’s coast guard, just hours before President Obama made his last State of the Union address.

Wearing combat fatigues and no shoes, the sailors were pictured sitting on a carpet inside a bare room. A female sailor can be seen wearing a makeshift veil she was given by the captors to cover her head.

Iranian intelligence agents are believed to have interrogated the unit for hours following the standoff that unfolded just days before the controversial nuclear agreement is set to go into force.

Republican presidential candidates were quick to jump on what happened, with frontrunner Donald Trump saying it’s ‘an indication of where the hell we’re going’.

The sailors were under detention by Iran after they were taken to a base on the island of Farsi – an area shut off to the public because of the Iranian government’s clandestine activities.

The nine men and one woman are seen without shoes sitting down in a room looking bored with some of them appearing to be asleep.

The group were captured after one of the boats reportedly suffered mechanical issues and drifted into Iranian waters.

But their release came after Iranian state media said the U.S. apologized for unintentionally drifting into occupied territory.

‘Our technical investigations showed the two U.S. Navy boats entered Iranian territorial waters inadvertently,’ the IRGC said in a statement carried by state television. ‘They were released in international waters after they apologised,’ it added.

The Navy have said they will be investigating what happened in a bid to determine why they were in that area of the Persian Gulf.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has welcomed the sailors’ release.

In a statement Wednesday, he thanked U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for his ‘diplomatic engagement’ on the issue.

Carter also said: ‘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.’

Earlier, Iranian General Ali Fadavi said the American boats had shown ‘unprofessional acts’ for 40 minutes before being picked up by forces in the country’s territorial waters.

He said: ‘US naval force and their frigate showed an unprofessional behavior and had air and naval moves for 40 minutes in the area.

‘Certainly US presence in Persian Gulf and their passage has never been innocent and we do not deem their passage as innocent.’

Fadavi said Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif ‘had a firm stance’ during a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry ‘on their presence in our territorial waters and said they should not have come and should apologize.’

There had been fears that the situation may escalate after Fars news, Iran’s state media, accused the sailors of ‘snooping’.

Revolutionary Guards Navy confiscated GPS equipment, according to Fars, which would ‘prove that the American ships were ‘snooping’ around in Iranian waters.’

On Tuesday, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook confirmed the boats were moving near Iranian waters when the US lost contact with them.

Cook says: ‘We have been in contact with Iran and have received assurances that the crew and the vessels will be returned promptly.’

The 10 American sailors were on a training mission at the time, according to NBC News.

They then moved into territorial waters inadvertently before they were captured. The Truman Carrier Strike Group, which is in the vicinity, launched a search and rescue effort, according to the Navy Times.

Secretary of State John Kerry had reportedly been calling his Iranian counterparts to sort out the stand-off.

He has forged a personal relationship with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif through three years of nuclear negotiations.

Retired Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey, an NBC News military analyst, said the seizure of American boats is ‘very bad news’ and highlights how the Navy may have failed to have surveillance on their boats.

He told MSNBC: ‘We simply can’t allow ground, air or naval units to be seized by a foreign hostile power.

‘I hope they’re back real quickly. This is an affront to our military presence in the Gulf and will unsettle our allies in the region.’

Republican presidential candidates were quick to pile in, blaming President Barack Obama ahead of last night’s State of the Union address.

Trump, who accuses President Barack Obama of being weak on foreign policy, described the incident as ‘an indication of where the hell we’re going’.

Ben Carson was first to point out the unfortunate timing, saying on Twitter: ‘While Potus is preparing to talk about his so called ‘accomplishments, 10 of our American sailors are being held by Iran.

Jeb Bush followed suit, saying: ‘If our sailors aren’t coming home yet, they need to be now. No more bargaining. Obama’s humiliatingly weak Iran policy is exposed again.

Marco Rubio added: ‘Iran needs to release them and the boats immediately… Iran is testing the boundaries of our resolve.’

Iran’s armed forces chief, Major General Hassan Firouzabadi, said the incident should demonstrate Iranian strength to ‘troublemakers’ in the U.S. Congress, which has sought to put pressure on Iran after the nuclear deal.

Attributing the boats’ incursion into Iranian waters to a navigation error marked a de-escalation in rhetoric.

Earlier, the Guards had said the boats were ‘snooping’ in Iranian territory and said Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had demanded an apology from Washington.

The IRGC, the Islamic Republic’s praetorian guard, is highly suspicious of U.S. military activity near Iran’s borders and many senior officers suspect Washington of pursuing regime change in Tehran.

The Guards operate land and naval units separate to the regular armed forces and stage frequent wargames in the Gulf, which separates Iran from its regional rival Saudi Arabia and a U.S. naval base in Bahrain….

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Filed Under: Featured, Iran, United States, Useful idiots Tagged With: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, U.S. Navy


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Comments

  1. Muhammad Bear says

    Jan 13, 2016 at 9:32 am

    Surely if a US military vessel enters Iranian waters the Iranians are justified in stopping the vessel? I wonder if an Iranian military vessel entered US waters if they would be released so quickly?

    • jihad3tracker says

      Jan 13, 2016 at 9:48 am

      The Iranians did FAR MORE than “stopping the vessel”, because that event was a perfect chance to humiliate the weakling Obama — who is regarded with utter contempt by the authoritarian, autocratic mullahs and “supreme leader”.

      THEY ARE ALL ABOUT POWER — NOTHING ELSE GETS THEIR ATTENTION.

      If Iran really wanted to get this taken care of quickly for their “partner” in the nuclear deal, it would have permitted the sailor-in-command to contact the nearest US resource, for OUR OWN MILITARY to tow them out of Iran’s waters.

      • Muhammad Bear says

        Jan 13, 2016 at 10:06 am

        It is a little bit naïve to except Iran to immediately release them without confirming they were not spying and didn’t have sensitive materials. You think the US would do that with, say, a North Korean vessel?

        I’m quite happy to condemn Iran when it is justified, such as firing missiles close to shipping in the Gulf. But in this case I don’t think Iran has done a lot wrong.

        As for holding Obama in utter contempt we all do that.

        I guess in Iran’s case it is because Obama is a Sunni Muslim.

        • خَليفة says

          Jan 13, 2016 at 10:38 am

          Iran kidnapped 10 sailors and committed piracy. They did do something wrong.

          The whole issue could have been resolved on board the Iranian vessel which stopped the sailors. The Iranians did not need to bring them to land – fact proven by the sailors release.

          On the other hand, the stupid Iranians just showed USA what they do, how fast they do it and where they do it in the Persian gulf. It is very possible this was a planned event.

        • Muhammad Bear says

          Jan 13, 2016 at 10:44 am

          The suggestion that it was piracy is incorrect. Piracy extends to the high seas and not actions by a State within its own territorial waters.

        • Myxlplik says

          Jan 13, 2016 at 10:46 am

          I think it silly to propose that the US would use patrol boats to spy, that’s so 200 years ago.

          Seriously

        • Muhammad Bear says

          Jan 13, 2016 at 11:02 am

          I made no such suggestion. That’s just a straw man argument.

          What I actually said was Iran is acting lawfully in ensuring that there is no espionage or spying.

          But as for your suggestion that spy ships are no longer used the military would seem to disagree with you.

          http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/09/04/russian-spy-ship-spotted-near-us-sub-base.html

        • خَليفة says

          Jan 13, 2016 at 11:20 am

          Duh… “Russian-spy-ship” … USA is not Russia, not yet.

          And states can engage in piracy – attacking and robbing ships, taking what is not yours.

        • Muhammad Bear says

          Jan 13, 2016 at 11:36 am

          “Duh… “Russian-spy-ship” … USA is not Russia, not yet.”

          If you had of bothered to read the article you would have noted this comment by a senior defense official:

          “When asked if the U.S. had similar spy ships off the coast of Russia, he answered, “Of course we do, what do you think all those ‘oceanographic ships’ are doing, studying whales?””

          “And states can engage in piracy – attacking and robbing ships, taking what is not yours.”

          Again, this is only in International waters. Not in waters controlled by that State. Look up the UN Convention.

          Plus Iran did not attack or loot the ship.

          If you think it was an act of piracy you’re wrong. Simple as that.

        • John says

          Jan 14, 2016 at 6:19 am

          Would you not consider the boats themselves along with the GPS guidance system that was seized by the Iran “sensitive material”? I recall that about two years ago a US drone landed undamaged in Iran. Just as (at least one) of these US boats, it too experienced some sort of ‘malfunction’ before it and its guidance system was seized by the Iran.

        • Muhammad Bear says

          Jan 14, 2016 at 8:47 am

          Yes, I do recall the drone a few years ago. If I recall correctly, it was hacked and brought down.

          You make a good point. If Iran did the same thing to the boat when it was outside of its waters then it would certainly be an unlawful and provocative action.

          It seems to be agreed by both sides that the boat drifted into Iranian waters through not fault of Iran’s. Not that I trust either government with the truth, but until some whistle blower breaks their silence I am going along with it.

          When I made my comment yesterday I wasn’t aware of the blatant use of US troops for propaganda. I certainly condemn that.

      • Pere LaChaise says

        Jan 13, 2016 at 11:00 am

        Every country is led by people who are all about power, this one included. The manner thenIranians dealt with this incursion was probably about as good as gets between nations who are not exactly friends.

  2. worldcitizen1919 says

    Jan 13, 2016 at 10:06 am

    The timing of the so called ‘straying’ just looks like too much of a coincidence to say it was accidental.

    What are the odds of that being an honest accident when you look at the timing. ‘Someone’s timing was perfect ‘just in time’for Obama to be humiliated the sailors had to stray at that given moment. You couldn’t set an alarm clock any more accurately.

    Doesn’t look right to me.

    • ca says

      Jan 14, 2016 at 8:15 pm

      that’s EXACTLY what i was thinking worldcitizen… complete w/a photo-op of our military APOLOGIZING as per order from our muslim in the white house to demonstrate his allegiance…not to mention releasing more terrorists from Guantanamo Bay detention camp….

  3. mortimer says

    Jan 13, 2016 at 10:43 am

    HUMILIATION is the name of this game. In Islam, ‘honor’ is ‘stolen’ from your enemy…as if it is a real, tangible commodity such as gold bullion in a vault!

    ‘Honor’ is IN FACT a supposed, INTANGIBLE idea, rather than a tangible! But Muslims are dopey and don’t know that.

    By ‘stealing’ honor from America, they think that other Muslims will admire the great power of the Iranian state and the POWER OF ISLAM.

    The mullahs of Iran are like the little man behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz.

  4. Touga says

    Jan 13, 2016 at 10:58 am

    “The Pentagon lost contact with two small riverine vessels in the Persian Gulf …” How does this happen? Beats my imagination.

    Being riverine vessels so far from home, presupposes there was a mother vessel somewhere in the vicinity. The vessels had communication equipment. They drifted into Iranian waters and neither the Pentagon nor the mother vessel knew about this? I wonder!

    • خَليفة says

      Jan 13, 2016 at 11:34 am

      Who is to say that we kuffar don’t use a bit of taqiyya now and then.

      All that is needed for the pentagon to “lose contact” is for an someone to “hang up” – they never said they could not re-contact the boat. Have you ever ended an unwanted phone conversation and later gave some plausible excuse to other person as to why the connection was lost and why you didn’t call back right away?

  5. Edward says

    Jan 13, 2016 at 11:08 am

    And what did The “Denier in Chief” had to say about the Iranian incident during his SOTU speech? “______________________________”

  6. PRCS says

    Jan 13, 2016 at 11:09 am

    Why would a mechanical malfunction on one boat cause both to “drift” into Iranian waters?

    They’re both (most likely) GPS equipped and the disabled vessel could easily have been kept out of Iranian waters with a tow from the other one.

    And for the local US Naval command to state that they “lost comm with them” is improbable.

  7. Marken says

    Jan 13, 2016 at 11:19 am

    “And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies….” This blessing was passed through the Abrahamic line to Joseph’s son Ephraim and Manasseh whose descendants many believe became America and Britain.

    Whether you believe this or not, this action by Iran was meant to show they possess their gate. Do they?

    • Edward says

      Jan 13, 2016 at 12:12 pm

      I hate to think so……perhaps the Iranians may have advanced technologies to fully jam com facilities and to also over write actual GPS signals reception to help lure the boats to wherever the Iranians wanted them to steer; this by generating false GPS data!

      Iranian American’s are very much ahead of the curve in this kind of technology…in a way they have a very heavy footprint in the Silicon Valley California area!

  8. Robyt says

    Jan 13, 2016 at 12:45 pm

    Strange story… I do not believe any of the sources. It makes no sense at all that 10 US military people were kidnapped and released the day after. Why kidnap them ? Why release them? Some years ago happened something similar to some British marine troops but they were realesed within days or weeks, so in longer time.

  9. guide inside says

    Jan 13, 2016 at 1:29 pm

    All we need is to get Reagan –errr–I mean, Trump elected Pres.

  10. Champ says

    Jan 13, 2016 at 3:39 pm

    I won’t be holding my breath waiting for Iran to “apologize” …

    • Rezali Mehil says

      Jan 13, 2016 at 4:20 pm

      Salaam Champ….

      Never mind…hold your breath anyway …

      More Later ..

      Rezali

      • Champ says

        Jan 13, 2016 at 4:35 pm

        How ironic …

        Expecting Iran to apologize for their wrongdoing is like expecting kindness to emenate from our resident muslim, “Really Mean”.

        Neither evildoer surprises me at all anymore.

      • jihad3tracker says

        Jan 13, 2016 at 4:56 pm

        Those highly intelligent mullahs and El Supremo unintentionally turned our White House over to a Republican in the coming election. How did they do that? Here is the answer:

        Before this incident and Iran’s subsequent attempt to humiliate the crew members for propaganda, American Democrats had largely forgotten about what a weakling Obama is when it comes to foreign policy.

        Now, those Democrats again see clearly that IRAN HAS TOTAL CONTEMPT FOR THE HALF-BLACK president. Iran’s top dogs regard Obama as more deserving of slavery than freedom — and, in fact, if he were stripped of his office and tossed back a century in time he WOULD be in servitude for Islam.

        And Obama will be poison for Hillary’s or Bernie’s public rallies. If either on of them are tied to the president who refused to delay his State of the Union address long enough to tell Iran that it MUST NOT BOARD THE VESSELS — BUT LET OUR OWN RESOURCES TOW THEM BACK TO INTERNATIONAL WATERS — then Clinton and Sanders fall into the swamp of Obama’s cowardice.

        So, the Republican candidates, from now until the election, will have political campaign appearances and media advertisements on how Obama’s weakness was exploited by Iran, who are quite familiar with his lack of strength in negotiating the nuclear deal.

        EVEN DEMOCRATS HAVE SOME PATRIOTISM LEFT IN THEIR HEARTS — and enough of them will vote for the Republican nominee for that person to win.

        • Edward says

          Jan 13, 2016 at 10:28 pm

          “EVEN DEMOCRATS HAVE SOME PATRIOTISM LEFT IN THEIR HEARTS”

          Lets pray they shed their Liberal ideology and rely on their hearts to do the right thing as their discernment tells them!

  11. DJ Barry says

    Jan 16, 2016 at 7:55 am

    Why didn’t the boat’s Captain just anchor the boat to keep it from drifting into Iranian waters, and then wait for help from a U.S. ship?
    Also, the Iranians humiliated our military individuals by blindfolding them and making the female service member wear a headscarf. You don’t impose your religion on people visiting from another country. This was done to embarrass and humiliate our U.S. Servicemembers.

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