Free Republic

The ship was seized on Wednesday near Farsi Island, where an Iranian Guard Navy base is located, the news outlet reported. The island sits in the Persian Gulf between Saudi Arabia and Iran, north of the Strait of Hormuz. Further information on the vessel, and the nationality of crew members, was not immediately clear. The seizure marked the third such incident involving a commercial vessel in recent weeks — and the second accused of smuggling fuel. The U.S. Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, told The Associated Press it did not have information to confirm the reports. Maritime tracking experts also...

The following is the executive summary of the U.S. Navy’s investigation into the Jan. 12, 2016 seizure of 10 U.S. sailors by Iranian forces near Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf. https://news.usni.org/2016/06/30/document-summary-u-s-navy-investigation-farsi-island-incident

Iran's supreme leader has awarded medals to navy commanders for capturing U.S. sailors who entered Iranian territorial waters this month, Iran's state media said on Sunday. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has said Iran should remain wary of its arch-enemy the United States even after a landmark accord over Tehran's nuclear program, awarded the Fath (Victory) medal to the head of the navy of the Revolutionary Guards and four commanders involved in the seizure of two U.S. Navy boats.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on Tuesday evening ripped the Obama administration over its handling of Iran, saying the seizure of two U.S. Navy ships was "humiliating" to the nation and President Obama. "This kind of openly hostile action is not surprising," Cotton said during an appearance on CNN's "Situation Room" shortly after news emerged that the two ships and 10 U.S. sailors had been captured. In a statement, Cotton called for the president to demand that Iran release the sailors immediately. If Iran fails to release the U.S. sailors, he said the Iran nuclear deal should be nullified. On CNN,...

BREAKING: Defense Secretary Slips Up, Reveals Obama Admin LED IRAN Straight to Our Sailors First came the fact that President Barack Obama refused to address the arrest of 10 of our sailors by the Iranian military after their boats had mechanical trouble at sea. Then came news that the Obama administration had offered the Iranians an apology for the release of the sailors. Now comes the disturbing revelation, apparently delivered by Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, that the Obama administration tipped off the Iranians that our soldiers were lost at sea and requested their aid. The news came from Rep. Louie...

By Wallace Bruschweiler and William Palumbo Since Tuesday's capture of U.S. Navy sailors by the Iranians, many questions have emerged that call into question the official story of events. Knowing the history of the Obama administration, including the Arab Spring and the infamous attack and cover-up Benghazi "incident," is it fair to assume that the White House is again deceiving the American public? In light of yet another disgraceful situation that humiliated our country and military, below are some vital and important questions to ponder (forget political correctness!): *Was this event coordinated to coincide with Obama's final State of the...

See also: The most plausible explanation for the 10 riverine sailors captured by Iran A fascinating comment on Rick Moran’s blog about the Iranian capture of our sailors is making waves in the blogosphere and on Facebook.  It makes a lot more sense than any of the official explanations we have received for the capture and subsequent release of the sailors. Thomas Lipscomb explains: Flash! A former Navy SEAL, Matt Bracken, just blew up what I have been calling "a pack of lies from the US and Iran" on what the hell happened that got our boats captured and taken to...

See also: Calling BS on the official story of the Iranian capture of two US riverine boats I have separately heard from two experts, both high ranking Marines, one on active duty and the other working in DC at a foundation, the following. 
 When I pressed them on the Fars News Service statement from Iran that the 10 captured on the two US vessels were all Marines, they countered: No, they are part of a Rivierine Squadron based in San Diego. Further they are support crews for SEAL missions from the US Navy and highly trained. The Iranians probably...

White House Spokesperson Josh Earnest News Briefing Video

A fascinating comment on Rick Moran's blog about the Iranian capture of our sailors is making waves in the blogosphere and on Facebook. It makes a lot more sense than any of the official explanations we have received for the capture and subsequent release of the sailors. Thomas Lipscomb explains: Flash! A former Navy SEAL, Matt Bracken, just blew up what I have been calling "a pack of lies from the US and Iran" on what the hell happened that got our boats captured and taken to the Farsi Islands. Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2016/01/calling_bs_on_the_official_story_of_the_iranian_capture_of_two_us_riverine_boats.html#ixzz3xQA8nIM0 Follow us: @AmericanThinker on Twitter | AmericanThinker...

The young Navy lieutenant who apologized to the Iranians after U.S. boats entered Iran’s territory has been identified as Lt. David Nartker. The 27-year-old grew up in Chicago and now lives in Ohio. Videos on his Facebook page show him firing weapons. Read: Iran Releases Humiliating Photos of Captured U.S. Sailors On Their Knees Nartker was among the 10 U.S. sailors who were captured by Iran earlier this week. The sailors were later released. But he found himself at the center of an international uproar after Iran released footage showing an interrogator haranguing him about being in Iranian waters. “It...

There's no point pretending the illegal seizure and release of America's sailors is anything other a huge propaganda victory for Iran - and a humiliation for the United States. Insofar as there was a strategic calculation behind Obama's outreach to the mullahs, it was that the nuclear deal and the lifting of sanctions would incentivize the Islamic Republic to start behaving like any other house-trained member of the community of nations. In other words, they'd stop pulling this stuff. As it was, Joe Biden and John Kerry could not resist bragging that the swift resolution of this situation was testament...

Iranian officials stressed that they taught the U.S. a lesson by seizing 10 sailors from two boats in the Persian Gulf.The semi-official Fars News Agency reported Wednesday that Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told Secretary of State John Kerry that the U.S. needed to apologize before the sailors were released. According to a statement from Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, "the Americans have extended an apology," Fars said.Zarif tweeted today: "Happy to see dialog and respect, not threats and impetuousness, swiftly resolved the #sailors episode. Let's learn from this latest example."Washington denies any "official" apology was offered. Iran broadcast a video...

Less than one week before the international community is set to unlock a decade of sanctions imposed on Iran, the country’s Islamic hardliners deliberately generated a crisis with the US for pure domestic consumption with the aim of ensuring the ayatollahs’s continued grip on power. Once the International Atomic Energy Agency announces on Friday as expected that Iran has fulfilled its obligations under the US-brokered nuclear accord, the billions of dollars in unfrozen accounts and the massive flow of oil exports will usher in historic changes to Iran’s long-isolated economy.

The White House said on Wednesday that it is pleased that Iran released 10 American sailors it had detained, but continues to have concerns about Tehran's sponsorship of terrorism and threats to Israel, Reuters reports. White House spokesman Josh Earnest told Reuters he was not aware of any discussions between Washington and Tehran about an American apology for the incident and noted one "certainly" had not been given. Earnest explained that President Barack Obama had not mentioned the incident during his State of the Union address on Tuesday night so as not to elevate the issue and jeopardize the sailors'...

ice President Joe Biden told CBS New the U.S. did not apologize to Iran after the country released ten Navy sailors it had abducted on Tuesday night. “When you have a problem with the boat, (do) you apologize the boat had a problem? No,” he explained. “And there was no looking for any apology. This was just standard nautical practice.” The vice president explained that the “the Iranians picked up both boats — as we have picked up Iranian boats that needed to be rescued.” Iranian officials then “realized they were there in distress and said they would release them,...

Dramatic video shows ten American sailors on their knees as they surrendered to Iranian troops in the Persian Gulf while a U.S. 'commander' is filmed apologizing to the revolutionary guard Footage of sailors on the floor, with hands behind their heads surrounded by Iranian guards has been released It was aired on the Islamic republic's state television after the Navy personnel were freed following a standoff When the sailors were taken off of the boats in the Persian Gulf, they were questioned by the IRGC Later the captives were pictured looking relaxed while sitting on a big carpet sharing plates...

The Obama administration got blindsided Wednesday when Iran released a video of showing one of 10 captured sailors apologizing to his captors for the two Navy vessels that strayed into Iranian waters — just hours after Vice President Joe Biden had insisted that there’d been no apology. “It was a mistake, that was our fault, and we apologize for our mistake,” a young sailor tells a camera.

Iran state television released images of the 10 U.S. sailors that the Iranian military held in custody overnight Tuesday. ABC News first reported the photos, which appeared after the sailors were released by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps Wednesday morning. Photos at the link.

Iran state television released images of the 10 U.S. sailors that the Iranian military held in custody overnight Tuesday. ABC News first reported the photos, which appeared after the sailors were released by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps Wednesday morning.