It appears that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard documented every moment of its dubious capture of ten American service members in January. On the 37th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, Iran released new footage of a captive U.S. sailor crying.
The short detainment of American sailors has ballooned into a propaganda campaign for Iran. It’s state-run media channel aired footage not only of the capture itself, but of one U.S. sailor apologizing on behalf of the United States. Social media reports also suggest that Iranian citizens are reenacting scenes from the capture while celebrating the ousting of the U.S.-backed Shah 37 years ago.
The U.S. Navy has called the images of the sailor crying “outrageous and unacceptable.”
“We are disgusted by the exploitation of our sailors in Iranian propaganda,” Cmdr. Kevin Stephens, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, told ABC News. “Professional mariners understand that it is a duty and obligation to assist other mariners who suffer mechanical problems or who find themselves off track at sea. In fact, our Navy has assisted Iranian mariners in distress in the Gulf region seven times since 2012.”
Secretary of State John Kerry’s spokesman John Kirby reiterated the government’s revulsion at the treatment of American service members.
“We’ve been clear, and the secretary was clear, about our disgust at seeing the pictures and video of our sailors being used clearly for propaganda purposes,” Kirby said. “That remains the case with the newly released pictures and videos.”
While the U.S. sailor who apologized to Iran was identified, there’s no word yet on the identity of the serviceman who cried in captivity.