Hommam Al Nassim 
U.S. Central Command says two U.S. sailors who went missing during the seizure of Iranian weapons in the Arabian Sea nearly two weeks ago have been killed.
The command said in a statement that it had changed the status of the two elements from missing to deceased after a 10-day search. The US military announced that the two elements went missing on the 11th of this month during the seizure of Iranian weapons destined for the Houthis in Yemen.
“We regret to announce that after a thorough search of ten days, during which the missing U.S. Navy operatives have not been located and their status has been changed to deceased,” the Middle East Command said in a statement.
“The search and rescue operation for the two naval special forces personnel who were reported missing while boarding an illegal dhow carrying advanced Iranian conventional weapons ended on January 11, and we are now conducting recovery operations,” it said.
“During this expanded search operation, Airborne Forces and Navy items from the United States, Japan and Spain continuously searched more than 21,000 square miles to locate our missing colleagues,” the command revealed.
“Out of respect for their families, no further information will be disclosed at this time,” she said.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said earlier that the two Navy personnel reported missing at sea took part in an operation that included the boarding of special forces personnel on a dhow off the coast of Somalia and the seizure of Iranian-made missile components found on board.