The 10 U.S. Navy sailors who were held by Iran after one of their vessels drifted into Iranian waters were told to “act happy” while they were being filmed during their detention, a U.S. defense official with the latest information on the incident told CNN.
The U.S. commander who spoke on camera, identified Friday as 27-year-old Lt. David Nartker, has indicated he felt pressure to talk about how well the sailors were being treated.
It is not yet clear if Lt. Nartker was directly ordered to make an apology in the video, the official said, CNN reported.
In the video, released after the sailors were set free, Lt. Nartker says “it was a mistake that was our fault and we apologize for our mistake.”
The apology has stirred up controversy in Washington, where several Republican lawmakers say the video is a propaganda coup for Iran.
The State Department and the White House both said they did not issue a formal apology to Iran.
While the nine men and one woman sailor were not physically mistreated during their captivity, the latest news from the defense official is the first indication that they were under some kind of direct mental duress from the Iranians.
As new information surfaces through the debriefs, it is now being reported that the sailors reportedly decided to “cut a corner” to make up time to get to a planned refueling point. It is not clear whether they were lower on fuel than expected.
The crew then stopped to fix an engine problem on one of the boats, not realizing they had drifted into Iranian waters near Farsi Island, the official told CNN.
The officials stressed that the full investigation must be completed before the military can be certain about what happened.
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
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