Carter: The Reason for American Marines Entering Iranian Waters Was Navigational Error

Ashton Carter, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, stated that investigations show that U.S. Marines entered Iranian waters in the Persian Gulf due to a "navigational error." These Marines were detained by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Tuesday evening and were released on Wednesday afternoon. According to Reuters, Ashton Carter said in an interview with Univision in Miami on Thursday, January 23, "Based on the information provided by these Marines and their commanders, they accidentally entered Iranian waters due to a navigational error, and it seems this was the main reason." Two vessels carrying 10 U.S. Marines, including 9 men and 1 woman, were seized on Tuesday, January 22, near Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf, and their occupants were detained by IRGC forces. These Marines were released on Wednesday, January 23, following negotiations between Iranian and American officials. John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, had called Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif shortly after the seizure of the American vessels, requesting the release of the Marines. After their release, Ashton Carter welcomed Iran's action in a statement and thanked John Kerry for the "diplomatic interactions" he had with his Iranian counterpart to secure their release. He also mentioned that investigations are ongoing regarding what caused the two vessels to enter Iranian waters. In another part of his television interview on Thursday, Carter said that the U.S. Marines aboard the vessels "did not report their navigational error to their commanders at the time it occurred. Perhaps this was because they were trying to correct it themselves when they encountered Iranian boats and realized they had entered Iranian territorial waters." The U.S. Secretary of Defense also denied that the Marines had entered Iranian waters on a secret mission, stating that they were "simply moving from one point to another." The IRGC also confirmed in a statement upon the release of the American Marines that the entry of the vessels into Iranian waters was unintentional, which was why they decided to release them. The IRGC's statement also mentioned the "apology" of the Marines. Ali Fadavi, the commander of the IRGC Navy, had told Iranian media hours before the Marines' release that "investigations show that the entry of two U.S. combat vessels into Iranian territorial waters was due to a malfunction in their navigational systems, and the matter is being resolved." Fadavi also referred to the "apology" of the Americans. However, this is a point that John Kerry and Joe Biden, the U.S. Vice President, have denied. Kerry, in a statement, emphasized the importance of "diplomacy in effectively and peacefully resolving this issue" and thanked Iran for its cooperation in this regard. Joe Biden also stated on Wednesday, January 23, in an interview with CBS that Washington did not apologize and added, "There is no reason to apologize; it was just a standard naval exercise, and no request for an apology [from Iran] was made."