2016 U.S.–Iran naval incident

On January 12, 2016, two United States Navy riverine command boats were seized by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy after they entered Iranian territorial waters near Iran's Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf. Initially, the U.S. military claimed the sailors inadvertently entered Iranian waters owing to mechanical failure, but it was later reported that they entered Iranian waters because of navigational errors.

2016 U.S.–Iran naval incident
Date12 January 2016, 5:10 p.m
Location
Near Farsi Island, Persian Gulf, Iranian maritime territory
27°59′35″N 50°10′21″E
Result Iranian victory and Sailors released unharmed 15 hours later after negotiations
Belligerents
 United States  Iran
Commanders and leaders
Cmdr. Eric Rasch (executive officer of CRS-3) Cpt. Ahmad Dolabi
Units involved

United States Navy

  • Fifth Fleet
    • Task Force 56
      • CTG 56.7
        • Coastal Riverine Squadron 3 (CTS-3)

United States Coast Guard

  • Patrol Forces Southwest Asia

USCGC Monomoy (WPB-1326) (Conducted Combat Search and Rescue efforts and escorted the RCBs once released)

IRGC Navy

  • 2nd Zone
    • 214th "Hazrat-e Amir" Special Force Flotilla

Border Guard Command
Strength
10 servicemembers, 2 Riverine Command Boats 4 small boats
Casualties and losses
10 captured, 2 boats seized (all released) None
Farsi Island
Location of Farsi Island in Persian Gulf

U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry called Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif within five minutes, the first of a series of phone calls between the two. The sailors had a brief verbal exchange with the Iranian military and were released, unharmed, 15 hours later.

The release was hailed by the Obama administration as an unintended benefit of the new diplomatic relationship. Iran released pictures of captured U.S. sailors. Some U.S. Republican 2016 presidential candidates such as Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Donald Trump criticized the U.S. response to the detention, which they deemed too weak.

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