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* On the 38th anniversary of the Iranian Islamic Revolution, teenagers were dressed like American sailors and held in a submissive manner to simulate the arrest of American sailors.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Staff writers|title=Iranians mock US captives in parade to mark revolution|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-35553150|accessdate=16 February 2016|work=BBC}}</ref>
* On the 38th anniversary of the Iranian Islamic Revolution, teenagers were dressed like American sailors and held in a submissive manner to simulate the arrest of American sailors.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Staff writers|title=Iranians mock US captives in parade to mark revolution|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-35553150|accessdate=16 February 2016|work=BBC}}</ref> Some Iranian people reacted to it via social networks by criticizing the action and calling it "bizarre" and a "circus". Facebook and Twitter are blocked in Iran and such views can't probably be counted as the "broadly representative of views inside the country".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Staff writers|title=Iranians mock US captives in parade to mark revolution - BBC News|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-35553150|accessdate=19 April 2016|work=BBC News|date=11 February 2016|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Staff writers|title=Don’t Make Us Look Ridiculous|url=http://www.irdiplomacy.ir/en/page/1956462/Don%E2%80%99t+Make+Us+Look+Ridiculous.html|accessdate=19 April 2016|work=www.irdiplomacy.ir|date=14 February 2016}}</ref>
===United States===
===United States===
* Secretary of State ] thanked Iranian authorities for their cooperation, adding that "we can all imagine how a similar situation might have played out three or four years ago." However he later stated that he was angry at videos of US sailors being used for propaganda.<ref name=nytimes />
* Secretary of State ] thanked Iranian authorities for their cooperation, adding that "we can all imagine how a similar situation might have played out three or four years ago." However he later stated that he was angry at videos of US sailors being used for propaganda.<ref name=nytimes />
Revision as of 05:30, 19 April 2016
A US Navy riverine command boat in the Persian Gulf in 2013.
On January 12, 2016 two United States Navyriverine command boats were seized by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy after they entered Iranian territorial waters near Iran's Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf. According to the U.S. military the sailors were aboard their patrol craft when they developed mechanical failure and inadvertently entered Iranian waters. The U.S Secretary of State John Kerry called the Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif within five minutes. His call was followed by multiple other phone calls between the two ministers.
Some US Republican presidential hopefuls such as Ted Cruz and Donald Trump have criticised the US response to the detention, which they deemed too weak.
According to military sources the two RCBs were on a routine transit from Kuwait to Bahrain, which serves as the home port for Task Force 56 under the Fifth Fleet. They left Kuwait at 12:23 p.m local time and were scheduled to refuel with the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Monomoy at 5 p.m. During the transit one RCB developed an engine problem and both boats stopped to solve the mechanical issue. During this time they drifted into Iranian waters. At 5:10 p.m the boats were approached by the two small Iranian center-console craft followed by two more boats. There was a verbal exchange between the Iranian and U.S personnel and the officer commanding the RCBs allowed the Iranian sailors to come aboard and take control. The Iranian forces made the sailors kneel with their hands behind their heads. The RCBs reported their engine failure to Task Force 56 and all communications were terminated after the report. A U.S. search-and-rescue effort was launched leading to "robust bridge-to-bridge communications" with Iranian military vessels, wherein the Iranians informed U.S. Navy cruiser USS Anzio at 5:15 p.m that “the RCBs and their crew were in Iranian custody at Farsi Island and were safe and healthy.” By that time the search and rescue effort which included sending a U.S. Navy vessel inside Iranian territorial waters over concern sailors could have been lost overboard, U.S. sailors were already ashore.
John Kerry spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at least five times by telephone. He called Zarif within five minutes. He states he "gave him a very direct statement about what would happen if we didn’t have their release very quickly”. Zarif called back within 20 minutes with assurances that the sailors would be released soon and that they were being “well taken care of”. John Kerry has stated that in his other phone calls about the situation he "made it crystal clear" how serious it was and that "It was imperative to get it resolved." The sailors had a brief verbal exchange with the Iranian military and were released unharmed along with all their equipment the next day on January 13 after 15 hours and they departed the island at 08:43 GMT on their boats.
The IRGC stated that they released them after their investigation concluded the "illegal entry into Iranian water was not the result of a purposeful act."
At first, it was suggested that a mechanical failure in at least one of the boats led them to the Iranian waters, then it was verified that both boats returned to base under their own power. However, American military officials could not explain how they had lost contact with both of the boats.
The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards naval forces claimed that the US apologized to Iran for incident. However, the US Government has stated that no apology was made.
According to the Fars News Agency on January 26, "the American ships were 'snooping' around in Iranian waters", based on the sailors' GPS data collected by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Navy. On January 29 Fars News Agency stated "it was proved that the US marines had strayed into Iranian waters only due to the failure of their navigation devices and equipment."
U.S. Central Command stated "A post-recovery inventory of the boats found that all weapons, ammunition and communication gear are accounted for minus two SIM cards that appear to have been removed from two handheld satellite phones." The statement did not account for navigation equipment. A Navy command investigation continues and more details will be provided when it is completed.
Tasnim News Agency reported Islamic Revolutionary Guards Navy Commander Admiral Ali Fadavi said in a February 1 parliamentary session "We have extracted extensive information from their laptops and cell phones", and that the information can be made public if a decision is made to that effect.
Treatment of American military personnel
On the same day the American crewmembers were released with their vessels, Iran released a series of images and videos which, among other things, showed the U.S. navy sailors on their knees with their hands clasped behind their heads as they were being apprehended on their vessels. Two of the videos featured one of the Americans, apparently the lieutenant commanding the boats, apologizing and praising Iran's treatment: "It was a mistake that was our fault, and we apologize for our mistake... The Iranian behavior was fantastic while we were here and we thank you very much for your hospitality and your assistance." According to Politico, these pictures and footage further "inflam the American debate over capture, including the question of whether the U.S. had formally apologized for entering Iranian territory." Michael Pregent, an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute and a retired U.S. military officer, said the photos and video, which were used for propaganda purposes and made the sailors readily identifiable, violated articles 13 and 17 of the Geneva Convention. US State Department Spokesman John Kirby addressed the issue, explaining "the Geneva Convention applies for wartime. We’re not at war with Iran". A Defense Department official said that the Navy lieutenant’s filmed apology was probably intended to defuse a potentially volatile situation.
General Ali Fadavi receiving the Order of Fath from the Supreme Leader of Iran.Iranian Armed Forces: Hossein Salami, Deputy Commander of the IRGC said that the Americans started crying during the detention and that no country has ever captured American soldiers since the second world war. Ahmad Dolabi, commander of the IRGC unit that detained the American vessels said that the US Navy personnel surrendered although they had all their weapons intact. Hassan Firouzabadi, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces remarked that this latest incident may not be the last.
Supreme LeaderAli Khamenei awarded a Fath military medal to Commander of the IRGC Navy Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi as well as four others involved in the capture, thanked them for their efforts and sanctioned their actions.
Foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif posted on Twitter that he was happy to see that dialogue and respect swiftly resolved the episode
Simulation of the arrest of American sailors involved in the 2016 U.S.–Iran naval incident, on the 38th anniversary of the Iranian Islamic Revolution.
On the 38th anniversary of the Iranian Islamic Revolution, teenagers were dressed like American sailors and held in a submissive manner to simulate the arrest of American sailors. Some Iranian people reacted to it via social networks by criticizing the action and calling it "bizarre" and a "circus". Facebook and Twitter are blocked in Iran and such views can't probably be counted as the "broadly representative of views inside the country".
United States
Secretary of State John Kerry thanked Iranian authorities for their cooperation, adding that "we can all imagine how a similar situation might have played out three or four years ago." However he later stated that he was angry at videos of US sailors being used for propaganda.
According to the Obama administration, the speedy release of the sailors "shows the power of diplomacy and the promise of its new engagement with Iran."
On February 14, 2016 U.S. Republican Senator John McCain said he would subpoena the 10 U.S. sailors to testify about their brief detention by Iran if the Obama administration did not provide the findings of an investigation into the incident by March 1.
