Iran Holds Two US Navy Boats In Gulf

US officials say they have received assurances from Tehran that the crew of two small US navy ships – currently in Iranian custody – will soon be allowed to continue their journey. 

The two small craft briefly went missing on Tuesday after transiting the Gulf from Kuwait to Bahrain. The Pentagon said that the crews ended up in Iranian custody, sparking immediate fears of escalating tensions during a week when Iran is expected to receive the first wave of sanctions relief from the landmark nuclear accords.

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported that 10 Americans – including one woman – were arrested by the naval forces of the country’s powerful Revolutionary Guards after entering Iranian waters.

Fars said the two American boats were 2km inside Iranian waters when they were detained close to Farsi island, which is home to a Revolutionary Guards base.

The agency claimed GPS data on the American ships also indicate that they were in the Iranian side. 

Pentagon officials told the Associated Press that the two boats drifted into Iranian waters after facing mechanical problems. Fars reported that the Americans were carrying semi-heavy weaponry on board their craft.

Late on Tuesday the Guards issued a statement saying “ten armed American marines” had been arrested in Iranian waters, but making no comment on any immediate plans to release them.

“The American crew are consisted of nine men and one woman…and currently held in good health in a safe area,” read a short statement published on Sepah News, the Guards’ official news website.

The episode comes amid heightened regional tensions, and only hours before President Barack Obama is set to deliver his final State of the Union address.

But a US Defense Department official downplayed the incident, saying the Iranians have sent indications of the “safety and wellbeing” of the sailors.

“We have received assurances from the Iranians that our sailors are safe and that they will be allowed to continue their journey promptly,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told CNN.

Pentagon and Navy officials did not identify the naval craft, the number of detained sailors, their mission or a timetable for their release.