WASHINGTON — Two Navy boats were in Iranian custody Tuesday but Iran says that crew will be returned ‘promptly’, according to the AP. The White House says it is working to resolve the situation.
Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told AP that the boats were moving between Kuwait and Bahrain when the US lost contact with them.
Ten sailors were reportedly on board. According to NBC, the Americans were on a training mission when their boat experienced mechanical difficulty and drifted into Iranian-claimed waters and were seized by Iranian Coast guard.
Secretary of State John Kerry was on the phone with Iranian officials in Tehran.
According to local media, GPS equipment confiscated by Islamic Revolutionary Guards Navy forces would “prove that the American ships were ‘snooping’ around in Iranian waters.”
No further details were available.
