U.S. naval commander demoted over Iran incidentMay 13, 2016 - 10:42 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The U.S. Navy has demoted the commander of 10 U.S. sailors who in January entered Iranian territorial waters and were briefly detained, BBC News reports. In a statement, the U.S. Navy said it had lost confidence in Eric Rasch, who was in charge of a riverine squadron at the time of the incident in the Gulf. A Navy official said Cmdr Rasch had been re-assigned. The sailors were released after intense diplomacy between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and top Iranian officials. On Thursday, the U.S. Navy official said that Cmdr Rasch had failed to provide effective leadership, leading to a lack of oversight, complacency and failure to maintain standards in his unit. The official - who spoke on condition of anonymity - did not say what the former commander's new role was. In January, the sailors - nine men and a woman - were detained when one of their two vessels broke down while training in the Gulf. They were then taken to Farsi Island, in the middle of the Gulf, where Iran has a naval base. The incursion was "unintentional", the Iranian Revolutionary Guards were quoted as saying at the time. The sailors were released after about 15 hours, and after Iran said they apologised. But Vice-President Joe Biden later said that the boat had had simply a problem and there was "nothing to apologise for". The U.S. said at the time it was investigating how the sailors entered Iranian waters. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. Macron says France commemorates 109th anniv. of Armenian genocide Today France commemorates the 109th anniversary of the Armenian genocide of 1915, Macron says. Freedom House concerned by mounting reports of police violence in Armenia Freedom House urged Armenian authorities to investigate this pattern of excessive force and inhumane treatment. |