Iranian Navy Sailors Detain 2 U.S. Navy Boats, 10 American Sailors After Entering Iranian Waters

On Tuesday, NBC News reported the seizing of two United States Navy boats by the Iranian military forces. U.S. senior officials said 10 American sailors who were on board the boats were detained in Iran's territorial waters, near the Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf.

U.S. officials said the American sailors were on their way to a training mission when one of the vessels experienced mechanical breakdown and drifted into Iranian waters. Iranian Navy sailors "rescued" them and took them into custody, as reported by IRNA, the official state news agency of Iran. Moreover, authorities also said they found three 50-caliber machine guns on the boats.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the United States officials were still monitoring the whole situation as they were still uncertain about whether the vessels intentionally entered the Iranian waters or just ran out of fuel.

According to CNN, senior administration officials had made contact with the American sailors and were assured by the Iranian forces that they would be releasing them "very soon."

"Certainly, everybody should be aware of the fact we have been in touch with the Iranians, and they have assured us that our sailors are safe and that they'll be allowed to continue their journey promptly," Earnest told CNN.

Retired Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey, a military analyst for NBC News, said the seizure presented a "very bad news" to the capability of the U.S. Navy in conducting consistent surveillance on its boats.

"We simply can't allow ground, air or naval units to be seized by a foreign hostile power," McCaffrey said. "I hope they're back real quickly. This is an affront to our military presence in the Gulf and will unsettle our allies in the region."

Nine years ago, Iran accused and captured 15 British marines and sailors in the Persian Gulf because of trespassing into Iran's territorial waters. They were released nearly two weeks later.