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Obama's chance to emulate Carter - Iranians grab 10 US Navy sailors and 2 small boats
 Iran detains 10 US sailors after vessels stopped in the Gulf Iran has detained 10 US sailors after their vessels were stopped in the Gulf, a US official told the BBC. "We lost contact with two small US naval craft en route from Kuwait to Bahrain," the official said. He said that the Iranians informed the US that the sailors were safe and "will promptly be allowed to continue their journey". The incident happened near Farsi Island after one of the ships encountered mechanical problems. After the incident, US Secretary of State John Kerry immediately called Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif to begin negotiations. An unnamed official told the Associated Press that Mr Kerry "personally engaged with Zarif on this issue to try to get to this outcome". Mr Kerry and Mr Zarif developed a personal relationship throughout three years of negotiating a nuclear deal. Iran's semi-official news agency FARS reported that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard detained the nine men and one woman, and that they had been "trespassing" in Iranian waters. It is not clear when the sailors will be released. In December, Iran's navy conducted rocket tests near US warships and other commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The tests were "highly provocative", a US military commander said at the time. Posted by: 3dc 2016-01-12 |
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