Iran releases drones seized in Red Sea after US Navy intervenes
2022.09.03 13:06
An Iranian warship seized two U.S. uncrewed surface vessels in the Red Sea before releasing them 18 hours later, the Navy said, in a provocative move that comes as indirect nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington appear close to stalling.
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Around 2 p.m. local time Thursday, the Iranian navy ship Jamaran seized two Saildrone Explorers, uncrewed vessels that were unarmed and taking unclassified photos in international waters, according to the Navy. The incident occurred in the southern part of the Red Sea, a waterway separating the Arabian peninsula from Africa.
The guided-missile destroyers USS Nitze and USS Delbert D. Black responded to the incident, dispatching helicopters and attempting to negotiate the release of the drones with the Jamaran. Around 8 a.m. Friday, the Iranian warship released the two Saildrone Explorers, wind- and solar-powered vessels used primarily for data collection.
The Iranian mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately return a request for comment late Friday.
Earlier in the week, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an elite military organization created to protect the republic’s ideology, attempted to seize an uncrewed American vessel in the Persian Gulf. The incident took place as U.S. diplomats hoping to revive a deal that could prevent Tehran from attaining nuclear weapons said negotiations were near an impasse.
Run-ins between U.S. and Iranian warships aren’t new. In June, three Iranian ships controlled by the Revolutionary Guard buzzed two American ships traveling in international waters in the Persian Gulf at “dangerously high speed,” the U.S. military said.
In April 2020, 11 Iranian ships “repeatedly crossed the bows and sterns” of American naval and Coast Guard ships in the Persian Gulf. Iranian boats regularly shadow American ships in those waters, raising the risk of confrontation between the two sides.
