Iran's seizure of our boats and men and their subsequent violation of international law by displaying the captured sailors in a propaganda video appears not to have disturbed our president or vice president very much.

In fact, given what this Iranian general said about the incident, I have no doubt that Obama and Biden agree with the Iranians.

Reuters:

Iran's army chief said on Wednesday the seizure of two U.S. navy boats and their 10 sailors should be a lesson to members the U.S. Congress trying to impose new sanctions on Tehran.

"This incident in the Persian Gulf, which probably will not be the American forces' last mistake in the region, should be a lesson to troublemakers in the U.S. Congress," Major General Hassan Firouzabadi, head of Iran's armed forces, was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency.

You hear that, you congressional troublemakers?  You should be groveling like our president before the might of the Iranians.

Indeed, the general had a lot to say about America, according to Breitbart:

Were it not for the good intentions of the Iranian commanders, he said, the US was facing yet another crisis now.

The incident showed the vigilance of the Iranian armed forces, the commander noted. …

Firouzabadi said what happened to American sailors on Tuesday proved how vulnerable the US is in front of powerful Iranian forces.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency quoted Firouzabadi stating, “This incident in the Persian Gulf, which probably will not be the American forces’ last mistake in the region, should be a lesson to troublemakers in the US Congress.”

As the sailors were being transferred to U.S. custody, Iran released a video and several photos showing the humiliation of the United States at the hands of the Iranian navy.

John Kerry thanked Iran for how they treated our soldiers. Here they are being paraded as trophies on Iranian TV pic.twitter.com/kVkmVYKHzM

— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) January 13, 2016

#Iran state TV showed a footage in which the commander of #US sailors made an apology. #navy #Pentagon pic.twitter.com/VCdjEZiY54

— Abas Aslani (@abasinfo) January 13, 2016

NRO's David French on the propaganda photo:

This photograph violates international law. Article 13 of the Geneva Convention (III), governing the treatment of prisoners of war, requires Iran to protect prisoners against “insults and public curiosity.” This photograph — including a female sailor apparently forced to wear a headscarf – is a quintessential example of “public curiosity” and would be interpreted as insulting throughout the Muslim world. (And if you don’t think Iran is in a state of armed conflict against the United States, tell that to the families of hundreds of American soldiers who’ve lost their lives to Iranians and Iranian-backed terrorists.) 

The sight of members of the American military, disarmed and under Iranian control, is of enormous propaganda value in Iran’s ongoing war against the United States. To its allies in the Middle East, the photo demonstrates Iran’s strength – how many jihadist countries have had this many American servicemembers under their power? – and it demonstrates American weakness. 

Then there’s this: 

“This time, the Americans were cooperative in proving their innocence, and they quickly accepted their faults without resistance,” the analyst, Hamidreza Taraghi, said in a phone interview. “The Marines apologized for having strayed into Iranian waters.” 

Never fear, John Kerry made friends with the Iranians, and that made all the difference.

No doubt the president not only believes that the Iranians are doing him a favor by teaching a "lesson" to congressional Republicans, but is oblivious to the humilation because he believes we deserve it.  I'm sure he is puzzled at the reaction from most of us.  He simply can't imagine his new buddies trying to make him look weak.

The Iranians are being praised because they let our sailors and the boats go – after seizing them at gunpoint, interrogating them as prisoners, holding them illegally for many hours, using them as fodder for propaganda, and then relieving them of their GPS equipment.  

Why won't anyone make the obvious point that they shouldn't have been taken into custody in the first place?  How easy would it have been for the Iranians to tow the boats out to international waters (if they ever violated Iranian waters in the first place, something we'll never know because they illegally seized the GPS equipment) and contact the Navy to pick them up?  That's what civilized, neutral countries do for each other.

Congress needs to investigate this incident and expose Iranian war-mongering and deliberate humilation of the president and the nation.