The crew of two U.S. Navy Riverine Command Boats commandeered by Iranian forces on Jan. 12 crossed into that country’s territorial waters, U.S. Central Command said on Monday.
The 10 U.S. sailors were intercepted at gunpoint and escorted to a naval port on Farsi Island, said the report, which contained no criticism of Iran’s actions.
The intercept happened when one of the boats experienced a mechanical problem in a diesel engine. The crew stopped the vessel to troubleshoot. The second boat also stopped.
“This stop occurred in Iranian territorial waters, although it’s not clear the crew was aware of their exact location,” the report said. “While the RCBs were stopped and the crew was attempting to evaluate the mechanical issue, Iranian boats approached the vessels.”
Armed Iranians on two small craft arrived, reinforced by two more Iranian vessels, its crew also armed.
The U.S. report said: “Initial operational reports indicate there was a verbal exchange between the Sailors and the Iranians but no exchange of gun fire. Armed Iranian military personnel then boarded the RCBs, while other Iranian personnel aboard the Iranian vessels conducted armed over-watch of the boats with mounted machine guns. At gunpoint, the RCBs were escorted to a small port facility on Farsi Island where the U.S. Sailors disembarked and were detained for approximately 15 hours.”
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There is no indication they were mistreated.
Iran reaped propaganda points from the episode, showing a photo of some of the nine men and one woman with their hands up and a video of the commanding officer offering an apology.
The command said it has not yet determined why the sailors veered off a planned route from Kuwait to Bahrain that was supposed to keep them in Persian Gulf international waters.
The answer will come in a detailed ongoing investigation by the Navy’s Central Command element, the command said in a two-page statement.
“NAVCENT’s initial operational reports showed that while in transit from Kuwait to Bahrain the RCBs deviated from their planned course on their way to the refueling,” it said. “The command investigation will determine what caused the change in course and why the RCBs entered into Iranian territorial waters in the vicinity of Farsi Island.”
All the boat’s weapons, gear and communications equipment was accounted for. Missing were two SIM cards from two handheld satellite phones.
• Rowan Scarborough can be reached at rscarborough@washingtontimes.com.
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