Will US retaliate against Iran for detaining sailors?

The Obama administration hasn't ruled out retaliating against Iran for detaining 10 American sailors, US officials told Al-Monitor, even as the delicate nuclear diplomacy between the two countries greatly complicates any response.

While the US Navy hasn't finished its investigation, Defense Secretary Ash Carter has already said the two captured US riverboats had accidentally strayed into Iranian territorial waters. Iran asserts that it must be notified ahead of time of so-called innocent passage incursions by warships, but President Barack Obama has previously challenged that claim as contrary to international maritime law.