Tri-Service
Navy Commander Fired After Iran's Capture Of Sailors
The commander of 10 sailors who were captured after entering Iranian territorial waters has been fired.
The US Navy said it had lost confidence in Eric Rasch, who was the chief executive officer of the squadron that included the sailors who were detained in January.
They were later released following intense diplomacy between the US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian officials.
A Navy official said Mr Rasch, who was responsible for over 400 sailors, had failed to provide effective leadership, which had led to complacency and a failure to maintain standards in the unit.
He has been reassigned.
A 38-foot Riverine Patrol boat, of the type seized by Iran
The nine men and one woman were held by Iran after their boat drifted into their waters off Farsi Island, an outpost in the middle of the Persian Gulf that has been used as a base for Revolutionary Guard speedboats since the 1980s.
They were on two riverine command boats travelling from Kuwait to Bahrain, where the US Navy’s 5th Fleet is based.
It’s believed one of the boats suffered an engine failure.
Iran released images of the soldiers kneeling with their hands on their heads after they were captured, escalating tensions between the two countries.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards said the incursion was “unintentional” and released them after around 15 hours, when they said the sailors had apologised.
Cover Image: IRIB NEWS
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