Iran Takes Custody Of Two U.S. Navy Vessels And Their Crew

US Navy patrol boats in the port of the Bahraini capital Manama on February 22, 2015.

Patrick Baz / AFP / Getty Images

The Iranian military on Tuesday took two small U.S. Navy boats into custody in the Persian Gulf and are currently holding their crews, U.S. officials said.

"Earlier today, we lost contact with two small U.S. naval craft en route from Kuwait to Bahrain," a defense official told BuzzFeed News. "We subsequently have been in communication with Iranian authorities, who have informed us of the safety and well-being of our personnel."

"We have received assurances the sailors will promptly be allowed to continue their journey," the official said.

U.S. government sources told NBC News that 10 American sailors had been detained after one of the vessels suffered a mechanical malfunction and strayed into Iranian waters during a training mission. Officials told the Associated Press the incident happened near Farsi Island, situated in the Persian Gulf.

Secretary of State John Kerry is reportedly working to secure the sailors' release and President Obama is involved, NBC reported.

Iran's Fars news agency reported the 10 sailors included nine men and one woman.

Fars reported the two boats, each equipped with three .50-caliber machine guns, were some two kilometers (1.24 miles) inside Iranian waters according to their own GPS systems.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told CNN the U.S. was monitoring the situation closely.

"We've received assurances both that our sailors are safe, that they're being afforded the proper courtesy that you would expect," he said. "We've also received assurances that they will be allowed to continue their journey promptly."

Earnest said the president's national security team would be in touch with members of congress to update them on the incident.

This is a developing news story. Check back for updates or follow BuzzFeed News on Twitter.

SOURCE: BuzzFeed