President Obama championed his success on the nuclear deal during his State of the Union speech Tuesday night, despite 10 U.S. sailors being held overnight by Iran.
The president did not mention Tuesday afternoon’s incident during the prime-time address to the nation, instead focusing on steps Iran has taken to shrink its nuclear program.
“As we speak, Iran has rolled back its nuclear program, shipped out its uranium stockpile, and the world has avoided another war,” Obama said.
The Pentagon confirmed that Iran seized two small U.S. boats as well as the 10 sailors onboard. Some reports suggested that the boats may have had mechanical issues and drifted into Iranian waters.
CNN reported that Iran will hold the sailors overnight and release them once it’s light out.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said in an interview on CNN that the president must be careful how he addresses the incident in the speech as long as the sailors are in Iranian custody to ensure they remain safe.
“He should be cautious about how he addresses it until the situation works itself out,” Rubio said.
