2016 U.S.–Iran naval incident

A US Navy riverine command boat in the Persian Gulf in 2013

Two United States Navy riverine command boats were seized by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy after they entered Iranian territory near Iran's Farsi Island in Persian Gulf. The 10 sailors were detained for 15 hours and were released unharmed after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made telephone contact at least five times with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Two SIM cards were removed from two handheld satellite phones, according to U.S. central command.

Incident

On January 12, 2016, patrol craft of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy seized at gunpoint two United States Navy riverine command boats that strayed into Iranian territorial waters near Iran's Farsi Island in Persian Gulf, while cruising from Kuwait to Bahrain.

Iranian forces made the sailors kneel with their hands behind their heads, and detained the American crew of the two vessels, nine men and one women, at a military base on Farsi Island. John Kerry spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at least five times by telephone. The sailors were released unharmed along with all their equipment, the next day on January 13 after 15 hours and they departed the island at 08:43 GMT on their boats. The IRGC stated that they released them after their investigation concluded the "illegal entry into Iranian water was not the result of a purposeful act."

At first, it was suggested that a mechanical failure in at least one of the boats led them to the Iranian waters, then it was verified that both boats "returned to the United States under their own power". However, American military officials could not explain how they had lost contact with both of the boats.

The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards naval forces claimed that the US apologized to Iran for incident. However, the US Government has stated that no apology was made.

Iranian state media released pictures of the US personnel kneeling and with their hands behind their heads, which was humiliating and illegal according to James Lyons in the Washington Times.

According to the Fars News Agency on January 26, "the American ships where ‘snooping’ around in Iranian waters," based on the sailors’ GPS data collected by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Navy. On January 29 Fars News Agency stated "it was proved that the US marines had strayed into Iranian waters only due to the failure of their navigation devices and equipment."

U.S. Central Command stated "A post-recovery inventory of the boats found that all weapons, ammunition and communication gear are accounted for minus two SIM cards that appear to have been removed from two handheld satellite phones." The statement did not account for navigation equipment. A Navy command investigation continues and more details will be provided when it is completed.

Tasnim News Agency reported Islamic Revolutionary Guards Navy Commander Admiral Ali Fadavi said in a February 1 parliamentary session "We have extracted extensive information from their (American sailors’) laptops and cell phones", and that the information can be made public if a decision is made to that effect.

Treatment of American military personnel

On the same day the American crewmembers were released with their vessels, Iran released a series of images and videos which, among other things, showed the U.S. navy sailors on their knees with their hands clasped behind their heads as they were being apprehended on their vessels. Two of the videos featured one of the Americans, apparently the lieutenant commanding the boats, apologizing and praising Iran's treatment: "It was a mistake that was our fault, and we apologize for our mistake... The Iranian behavior was fantastic while we were here and we thank you very much for your hospitality and your assistance." According to Politico, these pictures and footage further "inflam[ed] the American debate over [the sailors'] capture, including the question of whether the U.S. had formally apologized for entering Iranian territory." Michael Pregent, an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute and a retired U.S. military officer, said the photos and video, which were used for propaganda purposes and made the sailors readily identifiable, violated articles 13 and 17 of the Geneva Convention. US State Department Spokesman John Kirby addressed the issue, explaining "the Geneva Convention applies for wartime. We’re not at war with Iran". A Defense Department official said that the Navy lieutenant’s filmed apology was probably intended to defuse a potentially volatile situation.

Reaction

Iran

• Hossein Salami, Deputy Commander of the IRGC: The "American sailors started crying after arrest, but the kindness of our Guard made them feel calm... Since the end of the Second World War, no country has been able to arrest American military personnel."
• Ahmad Dolabi, commander of the IRGC unit that detained the American vessels: "I saw the weakness, cowardice, and fear of American soldiers myself. Despite having all of the weapons and equipment, they surrendered themselves with the first action of the guardians of Islam... American forces receive the best training and have the most advanced weapons in the world... But they did not have the power to confront the Guard due to weakness of faith and belief.'"
• Hassan Firouzabadi, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces: "This incident in the Persian Gulf, which probably will not be the American forces' last mistake in the region, should be a lesson to troublemakers in the U.S. Congress."
• Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (January 20): "I didn't have the opportunity to thank the young soldiers in the Revolutionary Guards. What they did in the Persian Gulf was right... The politician should do the same and stop the enemies with full power if they cross the line anywhere."
• Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (January 24): Khamenei met with the IRGC Navy unit that detained the American sailors and thanked them for their "courageous" action due to their "strong faith": "You did an excellent job, which was an interesting and swift action... Certainly, it was the divine job that sent the Americans straying into our territorial waters only to be promptly captured with their hands behind their heads."
• Foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zari posted on Twitter that he was "happy to see dialogue and respect, not threats and impetuousness, swiftly resolved the sailors episode".
• Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (January 31) conferred a Fath (Conquest) military medal on Commander of the IRGC Navy Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi as well as four others involved in the capture.

United States

• Secretary of State John Kerry thanked Iranian authorities for their cooperation, adding that "we can all imagine how a similar situation might have played out three or four years ago."
• According to the Obama administration, the speedy release of the sailors "shows the power of diplomacy and the promise of its new engagement with Iran."

See also

• United States-Iran relations
• 2004 Iranian seizure of Royal Navy personnel
• 2007 Iranian seizure of Royal Navy personnel
• 2008 U.S.–Iranian naval dispute
• 2011–12 Strait of Hormuz dispute
• JCPOA