Story highlights "The fact is they are free. They're back. It happened quickly," Pelosi told CNN's Chris Cuomo

Pelosi framed the return of the sailors as a vindication of the Obama administration's efforts to develop a diplomatic relationship

Washington (CNN) House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi defended the Iran nuclear deal even as tensions between Washington and Tehran flared over the detention of 10 American sailors, arguing that "this is proof that building a diplomatic relationship with Iran, at least in terms of the nuclear treaty, has served us well."

Pelosi framed the return of the sailors on Wednesday morning after a short detention as a vindication of the Obama administration's efforts to develop a diplomatic relationship with the longtime U.S. foe.

"The fact is they are free. They're back. It happened quickly," Pelosi told CNN's Chris Cuomo on "New Day." "And I think the diplomacy involved in the treaty and the fact that the implementation day is imminent all weighed in to make this something that was resolved as quickly as possible."

Many of the GOP 2016 presidential hopefuls also linked the sailors' detention to the nuclear deal, but they portrayed the incident as a result of American weakness.

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