Ten men who said they are Iranians were rescued Wednesday from a burning vessel in the Gulf of Oman by the crew of the USS James E. Williams, a guided-missile destroyer, the U.S. Navy says.
According to the Navy, "the vessel was flying an Iranian flag. The mariners ... are being well cared for, receiving medical treatment and awaiting transport to aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, which is coordinating the repatriation efforts."
A photo distributed by the Navy shows what's reported to be the dhow the men were on, engulfed in flames.
Last January, as we wrote at the time, U.S. Navy personnel rescued 13 Iranian sailors who were being held by Somali pirates in the Arabian Sea. Even as such rescues occur, of course, the U.S. and Iran continue to "eye each other warily" in the waters off Iran.
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