The US has held secret talks with Iran to persuade Tehran to influence Yemen’s Houthi militants to stop attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
Source: “European truth“with a link to the publication Financial Times
Details: Indirect talks, during which Washington also expressed concerns about the expansion of Iran’s nuclear program, were reportedly held in Oman in January and were the first between the countries in 10 months.
The American delegation was led by White House Middle East adviser Brett McGurk and US Ambassador to Iran Abram Paley, while Iran was represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani, who is also Tehran’s chief nuclear negotiator.
It is noted that Omani officials were intermediaries between US and Iranian officials, so they did not speak directly.
A second round of talks was scheduled for February, but was postponed as the US attempted to resolve a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas at the time.
A US State Department spokesman said they “have many channels to convey messages to Iran.”
Background:
- The United States has repeatedly accused Iran of supplying the Houthis with drones, missiles and intelligence to carry out attacks on shipping. Iran admits it politically supports the Houthis but insists the militants operate independently.
- Despite numerous US and British strikes on their military targets, the Houthis continue to attack ships.
- U.S. officials acknowledge that military action alone will not be enough to contain the Houthis and believe Tehran will eventually have to pressure the group to cease its activities.
- In December, the US launched a special military mission in the region with 10 allies to protect merchant shipping. Since then, numerous missiles and drones have been shot down, launched by the Houthisand repeatedly attacked their military facilities and weapons in Yemen.
- Officially started work on February 19 EU naval mission to protect civil shipping in the Red Sea called Aspides.
2024-03-14 08:57:15
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