Iran detains 10 U.S. sailors after vessels stopped in Gulf

REUTERS

They say the Riverine boats apparently developed mechanical problems and were taken to Iran's Farsi Island, the BBC reports.

Tehran says the crew and the boats "will be returned promptly," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told the Associated Press news agency.

The sailors were "snooping" in Iranian waters, Iran's Fars news agency says.

It says the sailors – nine men and a woman – were held by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

"We lost contact with two small U.S. naval craft en route from Kuwait to Bahrain," a senior U.S. administration official said.

The sailors are likely to be released on Wednesday morning, U.S. officials said.