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Iran Releases 10 U.S. Sailors Captured In Persian Gulf

WASHINGTON (CBS News) — Ten U.S. Navy sailors taken into custody by Iran after their two small boats drifted into Iranian waters were released Wednesday (...
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WASHINGTON (CBS News) — Ten U.S. Navy sailors taken into custody by Iran after their two small boats drifted into Iranian waters were released Wednesday (Jan. 13), a day after their detention, according to the U.S. military and Iranian state media.

CBS News correspondent Charlie D’Agata said Iran accused them of trespassing, and was demanding an apology before releasing them earlier Wednesday.

The BBC reported that the U.S. government had issued an apology to Iran, but Vice President Joe Biden refuted that suggestion Wednesday morning in an interview with “CBS This Morning.”

“No there were no apologies, there was nothing to apologize for,” Biden told Charlie Rose, saying the incident was caused by a mechanical failure on one of the U.S. boats, and describing the Iranian’s handling of the matter as appropriate. He said Iran had never requested an official apology.

Multiple Iranian news outlets quoted a statement from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as saying all 10 U.S. personnel had been released.

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“Our technical investigations showed the two U.S. Navy boats entered Iranian territorial waters inadvertently,” state television quoted the IRGC statement as saying. “They were released in international waters after they apologized.”

The Pentagon released a statement confirming their release.

“Ten U.S. Navy Sailors safely returned to U.S. custody today, after departing Iran. There are no indications that the Sailors were harmed during their brief detention,” said the U.S. military statement, adding that the 10 had been transfered ashore and other American sailors had taken over the two small boats and carried on to the original intended destination of Bahrain.

“The Navy will investigate the circumstances that led to the Sailors’ presence in Iran,” said the statement.

Defense chief Ash Carter issued a statement thanking Secretary of State John Kerry “for his diplomatic engagement with Iran to secure our sailors’ swift return.”

“Around the world, the U.S. Navy routinely provides assistance to foreign sailors in distress, and we appreciate the timely way in which this situation was resolved,” added Carter.

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