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Obama's chance to emulate Carter - Iranians grab 10 US Navy sailors and 2 small boats
2016-01-12

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

#13  I remember how urgently the Iranians got the hostages off the ground, and into the air - home-bound - a few hours (minutes???) before President Reagan took the oath of office in January 1981. Quite a contrast!!!

Would the Iranians pull this kind of crap under a President Trump????
Posted by: Lone Ranger   2016-01-12 23:17  

#12  Both the Pentagon and WH claim they expect the USN Sailors to be released soon.

OTOH the WH says that this incident will likely not be brought up during the Bammer's upcoming final SOTU address.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2016-01-12 22:58  

#11  I wish I could say that this action proves that Iranians are crazy.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2016-01-12 21:44  

#10  I feel very badly for the sailors.

Agreed. If the crazed Medes and Persians keep them, hostage status and show trials would not be far behind.
Posted by: JHH   2016-01-12 19:52  

#9  Year 2016 starts off wid a bang in ME and Asia-Pacific for mighty "red line" Imposer-not-a-Defender POTUS Obama.

Won't take much to devol from setting up US-led Anti-US OWG-NWO to de facto Superpower = Co-Superpower-vs-Co-Superpower(s) MilPol confrontation + mil conflict.

PUTIN-BELOVED/DESIRED GLOBAL "MULTI-POLARITY" = "MULTI-LATERALISM" = GLOBAL "PARITY/EQUALISM", TO OWG CO-SUPERPOWER "PECKING ORDER".
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2016-01-12 19:46  

#8  My thoughts return to Cambodia and North Korea. And then I think about all the scandals and changes of command to impact the Navy over the last couple of years and I am left to conclude, "par for the course."
Posted by: Gerthudion White4991   2016-01-12 19:44  

#7  I feel very badly for the sailors.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305   2016-01-12 19:34  

#6  I dunno. I wan't gonna watch his speech but now I might.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305   2016-01-12 19:33  

#5  Ebbang,
No, even the teleprompters can't be briefed that quickly...better to blame it on a youtube video.
Posted by: Capsu 78   2016-01-12 19:19  

#4  Weakness begets crisis.
Posted by: Blossom Unains5562    2016-01-12 19:10  

#3  "Gonna need more empty chairs."

Suppose the sods are feeling a bit peaked?
Posted by: swksvolFF   2016-01-12 19:08  

#2  So are Baraq's speech writers scrambling right now to include something about this incident in his State of the Union Address tonight?
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305   2016-01-12 18:54  

#1  something wicked this way comes isbu 2 1
Posted by: Goober Flusock7526   2016-01-12 18:49  

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