Secretary of State John Kerry thanked leaders in Iran on Wednesday for what he called a "quick and appropriate response" to return 10 American sailors back to the United States.

"These are always situations which … have an ability, if not properly guided, to get out of control," Kerry said in a speech on Wednesday morning at the National Defense University.

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.

Nations that take illegal propaganda photos, crow about their seizure of American boats, confiscate part of their equipment, and then point to our allegedly admitted faults aren't "easing tensions," they're flexing their muscles. I'm glad our sailors and boats are back in American hands — minus, apparently, their GPS equipment — but once again Iran has thumbed its nose at the U.S., demonstrating that it does what it wants — whether it's testing missiles, launching rockets near U.S. warships, or taking, questioning, and photographing American sailors who (allegedly) stray into Iranian waters.

The Obama administration told us it was just two friendly countries helping each other with a broken boat. The Obama administration told us there was no "hostile intent." The Obama administration told us no apology was demanded.

None of it was true. Our military personnel were captured, forced to surrender on their knees, blindfolded, and photographed. Their images were then broadcast to the world on Wednesday morning by the Iranian regime, a clear violation of the Geneva Conventions. The American woman who was captured was forced to submit to Islamic law and don a hijab. State-run Iranian media announced that the whole affair was meant to be a "lesson" to "troublemakers" in the U.S. Congress.

And the presidential administration of Barack Obama went right along with the whole charade.