FLASHBACK – January 12, 2016: Two U.S. Navy riverine boats drifted into Iranian territorial waters near Farsi Island and were seized by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Ten U.S. sailors were briefly detained and photos/video of the incident circulated, showing them restrained—an embarrassment highlighted by some observers.

Just days later, in mid-January 2016, the U.S. agreed to transfer $400 million to Iran as part of a long-standing settlement over a Cold War-era financial dispute. An additional sum was subsequently delivered under the same agreement.

The episode remains a focal point in debates about diplomacy, military readiness, and U.S.–Iran relations.