Iranian authorities released ten US sailors whose boats had drifted into Iranian waters due to mechanical problems. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, who described the sailors as Marines, confirmed their release following their apology. Back in the US, republican presidential hopefuls use the incident to heap scorn on Obama’s “weakness”.

Tehran (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Iran on Wednesday announced the release of ten US sailors it had detained in the Gulf when their patrol boats drifted into Iranian territorial waters.

The incident could have triggered a new diplomatic crisis that crippling US sanctions against Iran in the balance. Following the nuclear deal with Tehran, the latter can be removed by a vote of the US Congress.

"It was determined that the detained American Marines did not enter Iranian waters intentionally. Following their apology, they have been released to international waters in the Gulf," said a statement from Iran's Revolutionary Guards read out on state television.

An investigation established that "this trespassing was not hostile or for spying purposes,” said Admiral Ali Fadavi, commander of the Revolutionary Guards Naval Forces.

For its part, the Pentagon issued a statement that confirmed the sailors were free. "There are no indications that the sailors were harmed during their brief detention," it added, noting, "The Navy will investigate the circumstances that led to the sailors' presence in Iran."

Earlier, US officials said they had received assurances from Iran that the crews would be allowed to sail onwards come first light, noting that one or both of the boats had suffered mechanical problems and had lost radio contact.

Despite the goodwill shown by both sides, the incident could not escape the ongoing battle in US politics. In fact, US President Barack Obama was delivering his last State of the Union address as the incident unfolded.

In his speech, the US leader stressed the need to open new channels of communication with Iran and not demonise the Islamic world, citing Pope Francis who said that “to imitate the hatred and violence of tyrants and murderers is the best way to take their place.”

By contrast, Republican presidential candidates, including Donald Trump and Marco Rubio, used the event to take a swipe at the US president.

“Obama's humiliatingly weak Iran policy is exposed again,” said the real estate mogul turned politician. Likewise, for Senator Marco Rubio, “Iran is testing the boundaries of this administration's resolve” to see how far they can get away.

Reacting to the incident, General Hassan Firouzabadi, the hard-line head of Iran's armed forces, said, "Those US Congressional lawmakers that come up with a new obstacle for Iran every day don't seem to have correct information”.

"I hope that the incident,” he added, “which probably won't be the last mistake from American forces in the region, will be a lesson for stonewallers in the US Congress."

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