US Navy officials are reviewing potential punishments against the American sailors who were briefly held by Iran in January and are close to a decision, a navy official said on Thursday.
Ten US sailors, who were aboard two patrol craft, were detained by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps on January 12 when they inadvertently entered Iranian territorial waters. They were released the next day after being held for about 15 hours.
The US military said the Americans were intercepted after the diesel engine in one of their boats developed a mechanical problem.
The unnamed official said the investigation also found the incident was caused by communication failures and not enough oversight and training, Reuters reported.
Findings of the five-month long investigation will be presented by Admiral John Richardson, the chief of US naval operations, at a briefing in the Pentagon on June 30 where he will give more details on the incident, the official said.
If any punishments will have been decided by then, they will be announced by Richardson, the official added.
“The investigation is complete, and is being referred to appropriate commands for adjudication,” said US Navy spokesman Commander Mike Kafka.
