Iran releases US sailors; Kerry apologizes

Welcome back, Carter – Now comes humiliation phase of Navy boat seizure by Iran

"Every confrontation with Iran has a phase which is much more important to the Iranians than the physical outcome.

"It’s the humiliation phase, in which the Iranians get to exploit photos and video showing their opponents as weak and the Iranians as strong."

US apologises for Iran naval incursion - Revolutionary Guards

. . . "This naval incident comes at a delicate moment for both Washington and Tehran.

"The process to begin lifting the sanctions imposed on Iran due to its nuclear activities is expected to get under way at the end of this week.

"There are many conservatives and hardliners in both countries who would dearly love to sabotage the deal and consequently both governments may be eager - whatever the attendant rhetoric - to get this episode resolved as quickly as possible.

"How it plays out will be an important signal as to the balance of power in Tehran itself.

"The Revolutionary Guard Corps, whose naval branch detained the US vessels and their crews, is amongst the more hardline elements ranked up against the nuclear deal.

"But the potential economic benefits of lifting the sanctions may be too great an inducement for the agreement to be derailed now." . . .

10 US sailors held by Iran confirmed freed   . . . "It's not surprising that we "apologized" when Iran committed the provocative act of seizing our boats and our people.  The president and Secretary Kerry have become experts at groveling before the petty tyrants of the world and making it clear that just about everything is the fault of the U.S.  I question the apology only because if, indeed, the boats strayed into Iranian waters as a result of navigational problem, that wasn't the fault of the U.S. government, and no apology was needed.
"But Iran needed to further humilate the U.S., and President Obama was glad to oblige." 

Kerry Expresses 'Gratitude' to Iran   . . . " 'I want to express my gratitude to Iranian authorities for their cooperation ‎in swiftly resolving this matter."

" 'That this issue was resolved peacefully and efficiently is a testament to the critical role diplomacy plays in keeping our country safe, secure, and strong.' "

The 10 US Navy sailors detained and then interrogated after drifting into Iranian waters have been freed  . . . "American officials said the Riverine boats were not part of the carrier strike group and were on a training mission. The boats are reportedly not considered high-tech and do not contain any sensitive equipment." . . .

These are the U.S. Navy riverine command boats that Iran just ‘took into custody’

. . . "Riverine command boats or RCBs, are actually Swedish CB-90s and are a type of fast attack craft. In a number of pictures released by the U.S. Navy, the boats are outfitted with a number of light, medium and heavy weapons including .50 caliber heavy machine guns and GAU-19 miniguns. Approximately 50 feet long, the CB-90s can reach speeds up to 40 knots on the water, according to the Swedish Navy." . . .

Riverine boats are vessels specifically designed to operate in littoral and shallow water environments.

. . . "The Riverine Command Boat (RCB) is a fully enclosed platform designed to conduct command and control, tactical mobility and fire support operations in hostile riverine and littoral (near-shore) environments. The RCB is powered by twin diesel engines mated to water jets and equipped with key features that include an insertion and extraction bow door, reconfigurable mission space, manned/unmanned weapon mounts, a chemical weapons air filtration system, and optional armor. These design features combined with sea, air and land transportability make the RCB a one-of-a-kind multi-mission platform." . . .

And the US claims there is no sensitive equipment on board?