10 U.S. sailors in Iranian custody

Washington (CNN)Ten American sailors are in Iranian custody after two small U.S. naval craft apparently briefly entered Iranian territorial waters, a U.S. senior defense official said Tuesday.

The official, however, expects the situation to be resolved quickly. A senior administration official said there is nothing to indicate this was anything hostile on the part of any entity in Iran, adding that the U.S. has received high-level assurances that the sailors will be released promptly.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told CNN's Jake Tapper that President Barack Obama will be in touch with members of Congress about the incident.

"Certainly, everybody should be aware of the fact we have been in touch with the Iranians and they have assured us that our sailors are safe and that they'll be allowed to continue their journey promptly," Earnest said.

A U.S. official said the sailors may be spending the night in Iran, and it's not expected that they would depart until after daylight.

A senior administration official told CNN that the U.S. lost contact with the two ships, which were en route from Kuwait to Bahrain.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/12/politics/10-u-s-sailors-in-iranian-custody/