US Fires Captain of Sailors Detained by Iran in January

A US Navy captain, who was in charge of 10 American sailors arrested by Iran in the Persian Gulf in January, has been relieved of command over lack of “ability to command”.

“…, after thoroughly examining the findings of the final, comprehensive investigation, I determined that this additional action was necessary,” Commander of US Naval Forces Central Command Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan said Friday, Reuters reported.

He added that he had been removed from his post due to “loss of confidence in his ability to command”.

Captain Kyle Moses, commander of Task Force 56, was the second person to be publicly reprimanded so far over the incident.

In May, Commander Eric Rasch, who was the executive officer of the coastal riverine squadron that included the 10 sailors, was fired.

Back in January, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy captured the 10 US Navy sailors inside Iran’s territorial waters in the Persian Gulf, but released them a day later following an apology and after technical and operational investigations indicated that the intrusion into Iranian territorial waters was unintentional.