Tri-Service

'Sailors Divulged Sensitive Information After Being Captured'

Navy Disciplines Nine Sailors After Being Captured By Iran

Sailors who accidentally entered Iranian waters in January divulged sensitive information while held at gunpoint by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to a US Navy report.

Released by the Pentagon, it's looked into how two US Navy boats mistakenly found themselves in Iranian territorial waters as well as the actions of the 10 crew members.

According to the report, some of them gave away capabilities of their vessels, with one disclosing his vessel's potential speed and saying it was on a "presence" mission to demonstrate US military power in the Gulf.

Disciplinary action is now being taken following the embarrassing international incident, which came days before the implementation of a US nuclear accord between Iran and world powers. The report said:

"It is clear that some, if not all, crew members provided at least some information to interrogators beyond name, rank, service number and date of birth."

The report did not identify individuals, but the Navy last week revealed that the commander of the boats' task force, Captain Kyle Moses, had been relieved of his command. The report said:

"He lacked a questioning attitude, failed to promote a culture of safety, and disregarded appropriate backup from his staff and subordinate commands".

The commanding officer of the squadron that included the sailors, Eric Rasch, was relieved of his position after the US Navy said it had lost confidence in him.

The report also recommended reprimands for six other crew members.

It found the sailors and commanding officers did not conduct proper mission planning or appropriately consider the risks of the 300-mile journey from Kuwait to Bahrain, where the US Navy’s 5th Fleet is based, with complacency, a lack of oversight and low morale also to blame.

They then failed to tell their home base when one of the engines on a riverine command boat broke down. Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral John Richardson, said:

"Our actions on that day in January and this incident did not live up to our expectations of our Navy. Big incidents like this are always the result of the accumulation of a number of small problems."

Under standard rules of engagement, US military personnel are obligated to defend their units.

The captains directed their gunners to step away from their weapons, however, in the hopes of de-escalating the situation. One of the boat captains told investigators:

"I didn't want to start a war with Iran. My thought at the end of the day was that no one had to die for a misunderstanding."

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards said the incursion was “unintentional” and released them after around 15 hours, when they said the sailors had apologised and after high-level diplomacy between the countries.

After they were released a video on Iranian television appeared to show the sailors kneeling with their hands behind their backs while armed Iranian forces stood nearby.

The report said Iran was right to find out why two US boats were in their waters but that it was wrong to hold them at gunpoint and release the footage.

It also criticised them for violating international norms by replacing an American flag on board with an Iranian one, ransacking the vessels and damaging equipment.

US Senator John McCain, a former naval aviator, said in response to the report:

"The Navy investigation confirms what has been obvious from the beginning: that Iran's obstruction, boarding, and seizure of sovereign US Navy vessels at gunpoint and the detention, interrogation, and recording of 10 American sailors were flagrant violations of international law."