WASHINGTON — US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter welcomed the release of 10 US sailors Jan. 13, and credited the diplomatic engagement of Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif for the swift resolution of the incident that occurred when two small US Navy patrol boats sailing from Kuwait to Bahrain apparently drifted into Iranian waters near Farsi Island.
“I am pleased that 10 US Navy sailors have departed Iran and are now back in US hands,” Carter said in a Jan. 13 statement. “I want to personally thank Secretary of State John Kerry for his diplomatic engagement with Iran to secure our sailors' swift return. Around the world, the US Navy routinely provides assistance to foreign sailors in distress, and we appreciate the timely way in which this situation was resolved.”
