Good article on New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/13/world/middleeast/iran-holds-us-navy-boats-crew.html?_r=0
And some of the comments by NYT readers:
1- I'm sure President Obama will issue another apology to Iran, the last one for our ships getting in the way of their missile, this one for entering the internationally disputed territorial waters, maybe with a tear from the left eye. He will offer to pay for the fuel expended by Iran, food provided to sailors and the room charge. Meanwhile I 'am sure the Iranians have been all over the boats, seizing and copying the code books, radar, weapons and anything they think is valuable. Wonder how the interrogation of our forces went. Maybe President Obama will speed up the $150 billion dollar check promised in the nuke deal, after all Hezbollah and Hamas need the money to fund terrorist attacks against Israel and the West.
2- I accept the fact of our government's need to carry out surveillance on countries that wish us ill even though we may have to work with them from time-to-time.
What I don't understand is "why" our military would schedule this type of "off course" incident so close to one of the key implementation dates of our nuclear deal with Iran.
If I believed in conspiracy theories, or multiple shooters on the grassy knoll, it would be easy to believe that the military was attempting to scuttle the deal. The only other option would be to believe that commanders in the navy were stupid.
So, Admiral Richardson. Which is it?
3- Something smells fishy. Someone in the Navy needs to have their feet held to the fire to find out how something this stupid could happen. I'm not usually a conspiracy type, but this does not sound right. Is someone in the Navy trying to create an international incident? Someone needs to answer for this.
4- A riverine boat, accompanied by another, has a mechanical failure. They then drift into Iranian waters together. Am I to believe that neither vessel had a rope?
5- How unforgivably stupid for us to wander into Iranian waters at this delicate time. We should have been nowhere near that line. Somebody in the Navy should lose their ranking after this incident. This gives ammunition to both the hard core right in Iran and the Neo Con hawks in the U.S. It is infuriating that we could be so incompetent. Let's hope cooler heads prevail all around. Should be a nice backdrop for Obama's last State of the Union.
6- They timed it well, in time for Obama's state of the union address. They have no respect for the president, reflected in their behavior during and following the atrocious nuclear deal. This just makes him look that much more like a bumbling incompetent.
7- The Iranians know they can do anything they want and Obama will do nothing because he is so desperate to make a deal with them.
8- If a Republican was president we’d invade Iraq again.
9- Q: What would happen if two small Iranian Naval Boats strayed into US territorial waters?
A : Obama and Kerry would convene a session of the UN and offer Iran hundreds of billions of dollars to turn their ships around. Then, Kerry would condemn Israel.
10- How odd that a technologically advanced navy would "wander accidentally" anywhere at all. After all, my Samsung telephone has a GPS is perfectly able to let me know where I am when I ride my bike home. I am perplexed
11- Great.
Now our Navy appears to be unable to stay out of Iran's territorial waters.
We are very lucky that Kerry is Secretary of State - or these sailors might be held hostage for years.
Let's hope they are returned soon - but if I understand how Iranian politics works, there will be a "price".
I wonder what that will be.
12- Without reading any responses, let me guess: the democrats blame America and claim every American statement is a lie and very Iranian statement is the truth The democrats praise Iranian "restraint" for not killing the bloodthirsty imperialist cowboy murderers as they should have!
Indeed, your leader wants to return them pretty quickly.
It is not about returning them, which I am sure Iran will do as a magnanimous humanitarian gesture.
The implication that comes out of this is, for US supported Arab absolute monarchy dictatorships in the region. When they see their master humbled and play accordingly with Iran, they get the message loud, clear and strong.