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ByLolitaC.Baldor The Associated Press WASHINGTON Iran was holding 10 U.S. Navy sailors and their two small boats that drifted into Iranian waters after experiencing mechanical problems. Iran accused the sailors of tres- passing but American of- ficials said Tehran has as- sured them that the crew and vessels would be re- turned safely and promptly. The sailors, nine men and one woman, were be- ing held overnight at an Iranian base on Farsi Is- land in the Persian Gulf, and were expected to be transferred to a U.S. ship in the region on Wednes- day morning local time. Of- ficials said they believe the U.S. had spoken to one of the crew, and all 10 were fine and uninjured. Pentagon spokesman Pe- ter Cook told The Associ- ated Press that the River- ine boats were moving be- tween Kuwait and Bahrain when the U.S. lost contact with them. U.S. officials said that the incident happened near Farsi Island in the middle of the Gulf. They said some type of mechanical trou- ble with one of the boats caused them to drift into Iranian territorial waters near the island, and they were picked up by Iran. The semi-official Iranian news agency, FARS, said the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's navy has detained 10 foreign forces, believed to be Americans, and said the sailors were trespassing in Iranian waters. "We have been in con- tact with Iran and have re- ceived assurances that the crew and the vessels will be returned promptly," Cook said. The incident came amid heightened tensions with Iran, and only hours before President Barack Obama was set to deliver his final State of the Union address to Congress and the pub- lic. It set off a dramatic se- ries of calls and meetings as U.S. officials tried to deter- mine the exact status of the crew and reach out to Ira- nian leaders. Secretary of State John Kerry, who forged a per- sonal relationship with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif through three years of nu- clear negotiations, called Zarif immediately on learn- ing of the incident, accord- ing to a senior U.S. official. Kerry "personally engaged with Zarif on this issue to try to get to this outcome," the official said. Kerry learned of the inci- dent around 12:30 p.m. EST as he and Defense Secre- tary Ash Carter were meet- ing their Filipino counter- parts at the State Depart- ment, the official said. Officials said the sail- ors were part of Riverine Squadron 1 based in San Diego and were deployed to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet in Bahrain. When the U.S. lost contact with the boats, ships attached to the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier strike group began searching the area, along with aircraft flying off the Truman. Officials said a radio sig- nal from one of the boats showed that they were on Farsi Island, setting off ef- forts to contact the Irani- ans. The Riverine boats were not part of the carrier strike group, and were on a training mission as they traveled between Kuwait and Bahrain, officials said. The Riverine boats are not considered high-tech and don't contain any sen- sitive equipment, so there were no concerns about the Iranians gaining access to the crafts. The officials were not au- thorized to discuss the sen- sitive incident publicly so spoke on condition of ano- nymity. Republican lawmak- ers seized on the incident as further evidence that Iran is not to be trusted. The House was sched- uled to vote Wednesday on GOP-backed legisla- tion that would give Con- gress greater oversight of the landmark Iran nuclear agreement, which Republi- cans have derided as a vic- tory for Tehran. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R- N.H., said it was "unthink- able that the administra- tion would lift sanctions and permit Iran to receive billions of dollars in sanc- tions relief under the nu- clear agreement, even as the regime brazenly violates its international obligations and rushes to develop the ballistic missile capability to deliver a potential nu- clear weapon to the United States." The incident came on the heels of an incident in late December when Iran launched a rocket test near U.S. warships and boats passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, Iran was ex- pected to satisfy the terms of last summer's nuclear deal in just days. Once the U.N. nuclear agency confirms Iran's actions to roll back its program, the United States and other Western powers are obliged to suspend wide-ranging oil, trade and financial sanctions on Tehran. Kerry recently said the deal's im- plementation was "days away." PERSIAN GULF Pe nt ag on : 2 US N av y bo at s he ld by Iran but will be returned LATUNYAHOWARD—U.S.NAVY A Riverine Command Boat from Costal Riverine Squadron (RIVRON) 2escorts the USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) in the Persian Gulf. Iran was holding 10U.S. Navy sailors and their two boats, similar to the one in this picture, on a er the boats had mechanical problems and dri ed into Iranian waters. By Lisa Lerer and Ken Thomas The Associated Press AMES,IOWA Facing a nar- rowing primary contest, Hillary Clinton ripped into rival Bernie Sanders on Tuesday, saying the Vermont senator was of- fering unrealistic policies and overstating his anti- establishment credentials. For days, Clinton has cast Sanders as a less forceful advocate for gun control, honing in on a 2005 vote he cast that gave immunity to gun manufacturers. On Tues- day, she broadened her critique, arguing that if Sanders wouldn't combat the National Rifle Associ- ation, he can't be trusted to take on other special in- terests. "If you're going to go around saying you stand up to special interests then stand up to that most powerful special in- terest — stand up to the gun lobby," she said, as she accepted the backing of a major gun control advo- cacy group. Clinton added: "Don't talk to me about standing up to corporate interests and big powers. I've got the scars to show for it." The fresh critique marks an effort by Clin- ton to undermine the cen- tral argument of Sanders' campaign— that the Ver- mont senator is an out- sider offering liberals a "political revolution." At one point, she alluded to his mantra, telling sup- porters, "If that's the kind of 'revolution' he's talking about, I'm worried, folks." With a touch of sar- casm, Clinton said Presi- dent Barack Obama's work to pass an overhaul to the nation's health care sys- tem was a major accom- plishment and derided Sanders' plans for a sin- gle-payer Medicare-for- all system. "I wish that we could elect a Democrat who could wave a magic wand and say, 'we shall do this and we shall do that.' That ain't the real world we're living in!" Clinton said. Clinton also touted her foreign policy credentials, drawing another, more implicit, contrast with Sanders, who has made tackling economic in- equality the focus of his campaign. "I'm prepared to do all parts to the job," she said, after offering voters a detailed account of her time in the Situa- tion Room during the kill- ing of Osama bin Laden. Though Clinton has the backing of Demo- cratic leaders and top do- nors, polls show a tighter race in Iowa while Sand- ers has built a slight lead in New Hampshire, which borders his home state of Vermont. Losses in both early voting states could raise worries among Dem- ocrats about her strength against Sanders, who was relatively unknown when he started the campaign but has attracted big crowds to his rallies. A poll released on Wednesday by Quinnipiac University showed Sand- ers winning 49 percent of likely Democratic caucus- goers in Iowa, compared to 44 percent for Clinton. The same survey showed Clinton leading in a 51- 40 percent match-up just a month ago. Clinton has long re- sisted directly targeting Sanders, fearing that such attacks would alienate his passionate supporters. Should she win the nomi- nation, Clinton will need that kind of liberal enthu- siasm to boost her to vic- tory in a general election. PRESIDENTIAL RACE With Democratic race narrowing, Clinton rips into Sanders By Mary Clare Jalonick The Associated Press WASHINGTON A Sen- ate panel on Tuesday ap- proved Dr. Robert Califf to be commissioner of the Food and Drug Admin- istration, but President Barack Obama's nominee may face trouble. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she will hold up a vote on the Senate floor until she has reassurances from the agency that ge- netically modified salmon will be labeled. The Alaska Republican has said the engineered salmon ap- proved by the agency last year could be harmful to her state's wild salmon in- dustry. Califf is now the No. 2 official at the agency, which regulates consumer products from medica- tions to seafood to e-ciga- rettes. He was a prominent cardiologist and medical researcher at Duke Uni- versity for more than 30 years. Murkowski is angry that she didn't get more of a warning about the agency's approval of the modified fish, which she has long opposed. The FDA approved the salmon two days after Califf's November confirmation hearing. "If they are trying to get my support, they sure fumbled that ball," she said after the hearing. NOMINEE Se na te p an el a pp ro ve s Dr . Califf as FDA commissioner 741 Main Street, Suite #2 Red Bluff, CA 96080 1-800-287-2187 (530) 527-2187 OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK www.redbluffcoldwellbanker.com See All Tehama County Listings at If you are Considering Selling Your Home, Now is the Time! 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