IRGC: American Sailors Released

On Wednesday, January 23, the public relations office of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced the release of detained American sailors in international waters. According to the IRNA news agency, the announcement stated that the release of the American sailors was based on the certainty of the unintentional nature of the illegal entry of American warships into Iranian territorial waters in the Persian Gulf. Ashton Carter, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, welcomed the release of the 10 American sailors and expressed his gratitude to John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, for his diplomatic interactions regarding this matter. AP reports that John Kerry has maintained close contacts with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, following the nuclear negotiations with Iran. Hours before the sailors' release, the commander of the IRGC Navy also mentioned the imminent resolution of the American sailors' detention and stated that there was good cooperation between military and diplomatic channels regarding the issue. According to Tasnim news agency, the IRGC commander indicated that the entry of two American warships into Iranian territorial waters was due to a malfunction in their navigation systems. He emphasized that it would not take long to receive the necessary orders for final action, and they would likely be released. The Pentagon announced on Tuesday that two American patrol boats had encountered technical problems between Kuwait and Bahrain and were detained after entering Iranian waters. Subsequently, the White House spokesperson stated that Iran had assured the immediate release of the American sailors, who would soon be allowed to continue their journey. Meanwhile, the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces expressed hope that the incident of detaining the American sailors would serve as a lesson for those members of the U.S. Congress who, according to him, create obstacles. Hassan Firouzabadi stated that those members of Congress who design new problems for Iran daily apparently lack accurate information and act blindly and detached from realities to the detriment of the American people. He hoped that the incident in the northern Persian Gulf, which is likely not the last mistake of American forces in the region, would serve as a lesson for the obstructionists in the U.S. Congress. The majority of the U.S. Congress, controlled by Republicans, opposed the nuclear agreement in Vienna between Iran and six world powers but ultimately could not gather enough votes to reject the nuclear deal.