Coast Guard ship thanks Americans as they take men aboard.
Manama: A US naval ship came to the aid of two stranded Iranian sailors in the early hours of Thursday morning in the Arabian Gulf, providing food and water until the arrival of the Iranian coast guard.
The US Navy was notified by a merchant vessel of the two stranded sailors in a life raft after an emergency flare was seen and the USS Oscar Austin was sent to provide help, said a statement issued by the Bahrain-based US Fifth Fleet.
The sailors were found just about 1 km outside Iranian territorial waters at 5am local time and were provided food and water. The US Navy contacted Iranian authorities via neighbouring Oman.
The mariners said their fishing boat had sunk the night before and they did not know about the whereabouts of the other crewmembers. An Iranian Coast Guard ship showed up just past noon and took the two men aboard and thanked the navy, said the statement.
“We’re glad that we were able to coordinate the rescue of the mariners with the Iranian Coast Guard,” said Lt Cmdr. Steve Ansuinni of the Fifth Fleet in the statement. In August, an aircraft carrier from the fleet rescued eight Iranian fisherman.
