Kerry told Iran sailor capture could be made into ‘good story’

Kerry told Iran’s foreign minister that Tehran’s capture and release of 10 US sailors could be turned into a “good story” for both countries, a US official says Wednesday.

Kerry called Zarif at least five times on Tuesday to secure the safe release of the boat crews after they strayed into Iranian territorial waters in the Gulf and were captured.

During the calls, a senior US official tells reporters, Kerry urged his counterpart to consider the potential crisis an opportunity to showcase the strengths of the thawing diplomatic relationship between the old foes.

“They speak relatively regularly. None of this is unusual in the wake of the dialogue we’ve had on nuclear issues,” he says, adding that Kerry had already had a scheduled call with Zarif before the news broke.

Kerry explained to Zarif that the sailors — crews in two US Navy patrol boats — had been on a routine transit mission between Kuwait and Bahrain and urged him to ensure that they were released quickly and unharmed.

And he added “if we are able to do this in the right way it would be a good story for both of us.”

—AFP