Admiral Fadavi: We have extracted a lot of information from the laptops of detained sailors

Admiral Ali Fadavi, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, stated on Tuesday in the open session of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, "We have extracted a lot of information from the laptops and mobile phones of the detained American sailors." The commander of the IRGC Navy appeared in the parliament alongside four other commanders who had previously detained American sailors after stopping an American vessel for several hours. Marine law and international law experts in the United States claim that the Islamic Republic of Iran violated international laws and regulations by detaining 10 American Navy sailors. According to Iranian news agencies, Fadavi emphasized during the session that if the Americans wish to act with what he termed "malice," there are several hours of footage from the scenes of the American sailors' detention that would cause "greater embarrassment and humiliation" for them. The U.S. Department of Defense reported late on January 12 that Iran had two American boats along with their sailors but assured U.S. officials that the sailors would be released immediately and safely along with their boats. The detained sailors were released the following day, as announced by the IRGC, and both the IRGC and the U.S. Department of Defense emphasized the unintentional nature of the incident. Previously, a malfunction in the navigation systems of these boats was cited as the reason for their entry into Iranian territorial waters, but the IRGC Navy commander explained in parliament that while the American vessels intended to travel from Farsi Island to Arab Island, their engine failure caused the current to push them several hundred meters into Iranian waters. He described the geographical situation of the area where the American sailors were detained, stating, "Between Farsi Island and Arab Island, territorial waters are divided, with five miles belonging to Iran and five miles belonging to Arab Island." Legal experts told the New York Times that under the United Nations maritime law, which Iran has also signed, warships enjoy absolute immunity and can regularly and swiftly pass through the territorial waters of other countries as long as they do not engage in military operations. On Tuesday, Fadavi declared the detention of American sailors as a "duty of the IRGC Navy, which we have been performing for many years." According to the IRGC Navy commander, "This detention is considered the fourth detention of American and British military personnel in Iranian waters." Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, recently praised the actions of the forces involved in detaining the American sailors in the Persian Gulf as courageous and commendable. He also awarded medals and honors to the IRGC Navy commander and four other commanders involved in the detention of the two American vessels. The detention of American sailors and the broadcasting of their arrest footage have spilled over into the U.S. presidential election campaigns, with Republican candidates criticizing Barack Obama's policies. In this context, the awarding of honors to the commanders involved in the detention of American sailors has drawn attention.