Iran’s army chief on Wednesday boasted that the seizure of two small U.S. Navy boats and their 10 sailors should be a lesson to “troublemakers” in Congress trying to impose new sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
“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,” Major General Hassan Firouzabadi, head of Iran’s armed forces, was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency quoted him saying Tuesday’s incident “showed how vulnerable the U.S. is in front of powerful Iranian forces.”
Mr. Firouzabadi claimed the U.S. would be facing another international crisis, “were it not for the good intentions of the Iranian commanders,” according to IRNA.
Iran’s military claimed it captured the sailors after he two U.S. Navy boats they crossed into Iranian waters. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement the U.S. military personnel, including nine men and one woman, were released after an investigation determined they had entered Iranian waters by mistake.
“Our technical investigations showed the two U.S. Navy boats entered Iranian territorial waters inadvertently,” said the IRGC statement, broadcast on Iran’s state television. “They were released in international waters after they apologized,” it added.
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
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