Iran Frees U.S. Sailors Captured In Persian Gulf

Ten U.S. Navy sailors taken into custody by Iran after their two small boats drifted into Iranian waters were released Wednesday, 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 U.S. officials had not confirmed that to CBS News.

Multiple Iranian news outlets quoted a statement from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as saying all 10 U.S. personnel had been released.
"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 transferred 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.
The navy chief of the powerful Iranian Revolutionary Guard said earlier Wednesday that the American boats showed "unprofessional acts" for 40 minutes before being picked up by Iranian forces after entering the country's territorial waters.

The navy chief, Gen. Ali Fadavi, confirmed on state TV earlier Wednesday that the Guard had been holding the crew and their two small boats. The nine men and one woman were held at an Iranian base on Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf.

D'Agata reported the American sailors were said to have been interrogated Wednesday morning by Revolutionary Guard forces on Farsi Island.

The Reuters news agency said it was an American aircraft carrier that Fadavi had accused of acting "provocatively and unprofessionally" for 40 minutes by carrying out maneuvers in the Gulf after Iran detained the 10 sailors.
Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told The Associated Press that the Riverine boats were moving between Kuwait and Bahrain when the U.S. lost contact with them.

U.S. officials said the incident happened near Farsi Island, which sits in the middle of the Gulf. They said some type of mechanical trouble with one of the boats caused them to drift into Iranian territorial waters near the island, and they were picked up by Iran.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.