Iranian Detention of U.S. Sailors Clouds Obama Address
- 10 sailors traveling in Persian Gulf held by Iranian Forces
- Administration says Iran assures detainees will be released
An Iranian national flag flies from a flagpole in a residential district of Tehran on Aug. 24, 2015.
Photographer: Simon Dawson/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Just hours before President Barack Obama was set to deliver his final State of the Union address, reports that 10 U.S. sailors had been detained by Iran were threatening to overshadow the prime time address to the nation.
Senior administration officials worked quickly to quell concerns over the incident, saying they had assurances from the Iranian government that the sailors were being treated well and would be released soon. But questions over how long they had been detained -- and when they would be freed -- spurred Republicans criticism of Obama’s handling of foreign policy.