US Navy rescued two Iranian mariners in distress last Friday, US military says

By Oren Liebermann, CNN

(CNN) — The US Navy rescued two Iranian mariners in distress last Friday in international waters, US Central Command said in a news release.

Sailors from the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group, which is operating in and around the Gulf of Oman, rescued the Iranian civilians from the water. The release does not say what caused the Iranians to be in distress or where exactly they were rescued.

A rigid inflatable boat from a US destroyer and a rescue helicopter from the aircraft carrier picked up the mariners on August 23 and brought them to the carrier for medical care, Central Command said. They were also provided food and water.

“Aiding distressed mariners is a mission that our strike group will always stand ready to support. It is the right thing to do, and further demonstrates that the U.S. Navy is a force ready when called upon,” said Rear Adm. Christopher Alexander, the commander of the strike group.

The rescue is notable because the carrier strike group is in the region specifically to deter Iran and its regional proxies from striking Israel or carrying out attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria. Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered two carrier strike groups to remain in the Middle East because of the elevated concern over a potential Iranian attack against Israel. Those fears have remained high since Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran in July, with the Iranian government and Hamas blaming Israel for the attack.

Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement.

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