Iran's Leader: The Arrest of American Sailors Was Brave and Admirable

Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, described the action of the Revolutionary Guards who detained American sailors in the Persian Gulf as brave and praiseworthy during a meeting with them. The website of the Iranian leader's office reported a brief account along with images from this meeting, showing that in addition to several Revolutionary Guards naval personnel, high-ranking military commanders of Iran, including the commanders of the Army and the Revolutionary Guards, and the commander of the Revolutionary Guards Navy were present. The U.S. Department of Defense reported late on January 12 that Iran had two American boats along with their sailors, but U.S. officials received assurances from Tehran that the sailors would be released immediately and safely along with their boats. The report noted that contact with these two American boats was lost while moving between Kuwait and Bahrain, and they entered Iranian waters. At that time, the Revolutionary Guards announced in a statement that the American sailors included nine men and one woman, who were 'in perfect health' and 'were settled in a suitable location.' The detained sailors were released the next day, according to the Revolutionary Guards, and both the Revolutionary Guards and the U.S. Department of Defense emphasized the unintentional nature of the incident. Now, the leader of the Islamic Republic has called the actions of the Revolutionary Guards 'excellent, interesting, and timely,' adding that 'this incident should be considered a work of God that brought the Americans into our waters so that with your timely action, they were arrested with their hands on their heads.' On the website of Ayatollah Khamenei's office, the detained American sailors are referred to as 'invaders.' The arrest of the American sailors, which occurred days before the announcement of the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement, was also reflected in election debates in the U.S., where Republicans criticized the Obama administration over this issue. Among the officials of the Obama administration, John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, thanked his Iranian counterpart for the immediate release of the sailors. Ashton Carter, the Secretary of Defense, also issued a statement welcoming the action and thanked John Kerry for the 'diplomatic interactions' he had with his Iranian counterpart for the release of these individuals. In this context, the initial report of the U.S. military regarding the detention and release of the sailors indicated that Joe Biden stated that the U.S. did not apologize to Iran for the sailors. The Revolutionary Guards announced that the American sailors were released and that they would act regarding the American sailors as soon as ordered from above. The White House stated that Iran had assured the immediate release of the American sailors, and the Pentagon confirmed that Iran had taken two U.S. Navy boats into custody.