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S. Korean Destroyer Arrives in Waters Near Iran After Oil Tanker Seizure

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Monday it had seized the South Korean-flagged Hankuk Chemi in Gulf waters- AFP
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Monday it had seized the South Korean-flagged Hankuk Chemi in Gulf waters- AFP
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S. Korean Destroyer Arrives in Waters Near Iran After Oil Tanker Seizure

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Monday it had seized the South Korean-flagged Hankuk Chemi in Gulf waters- AFP
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Monday it had seized the South Korean-flagged Hankuk Chemi in Gulf waters- AFP

Seoul's Defense Ministry said Tuesday a destroyer carrying members of South Korea's anti-piracy unit had arrived in waters near the Strait of Hormuz and was "carrying out a mission to ensure the safety of our nationals", without giving details.

Seoul said the 300-strong Cheonghae unit had been in the region since late last year and would not engage in an offensive operation, an unnamed military official told the South's Yonhap News Agency.

"The issue should be resolved through diplomacy. The unit is focused on the safety of our people who use the waterway after the seizure incident," they added, AFP reported.

Earlier, Foreign ministry spokesman Choi Young-sam said a government delegation would be "dispatched to Iran at the earliest possible date to try to resolve the matter through bilateral negotiations."

The arrested crew were from South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Myanmar, the Guards said on its website Sepahnews, without giving further details.

The seizure followed days of high US-Iran tensions marked by the first anniversary of the US assassination of Iran's revered military commander Major General Qasem Soleimani in a Baghdad drone strike.

The United States Sunday reversed a decision to bring the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz home from the Gulf, with the Pentagon citing "recent threats" by Iran.

Separately, South Korea's vice foreign minister Choi Jong-kun will go ahead with a planned three-day trip to Tehran early next week, the spokesman added.

The vice minister's visit had been arranged prior to the seizure, as Tehran seeks the release of billions of dollars held in Seoul under US sanctions.

According to Iran's central bank governor Abdolnasser Hemmati, the country has "$7 billion of deposits in South Korea" that can neither "be transferred nor do we get any returns on, while they ask us for the costs" of holding the funds.

South Korea's foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha did not comment on speculation that Iran seized the ship in a bid to pressure Seoul to unlock Iranian assets.

"We need to verify the facts first and ensure the safety of our crew," Kang told reporters.

"We are making diplomatic efforts for an early release," she added.

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Risk of ‘Escalation’ if Iran Attacked, Warns Deputy Foreign Minister

Iranians walk past shops selling food ahead of Iftar, the Ramadan fast-breaking meal, in northern Tehran on February 23, 2026. (AFP)
Iranians walk past shops selling food ahead of Iftar, the Ramadan fast-breaking meal, in northern Tehran on February 23, 2026. (AFP)
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Risk of ‘Escalation’ if Iran Attacked, Warns Deputy Foreign Minister

Iranians walk past shops selling food ahead of Iftar, the Ramadan fast-breaking meal, in northern Tehran on February 23, 2026. (AFP)
Iranians walk past shops selling food ahead of Iftar, the Ramadan fast-breaking meal, in northern Tehran on February 23, 2026. (AFP)

Iran's deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi warned of a wider escalation if his country was attacked, after US President Donald Trump raised the threat of strikes.

Trump has sent a major deployment of air and sea power to the Middle East and has threatened to strike Iran if it does not reach a deal on key concerns starting with its nuclear program.

"We call upon all nations committed to peace and justice to take meaningful steps to prevent further escalation," Gharibabadi said at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.

"The consequences of any renewed aggression wouldn't remain confined to one country -- and responsibility would rest with those who initiate or support such actions."

Iranian and US negotiators held indirect talks in Geneva last week on Tehran's nuclear program, hosted by Oman.

A fresh round of talks in the Swiss city this Thursday has been confirmed by Muscat, though not by Washington.

"Iran remains committed to diplomacy and dialogue as the most effective path towards de-escalation and sustainable security," Gharibabadi said.

"Recent diplomatic engagement here in Geneva, which will continue this Thursday, demonstrates that a new window of opportunity exists for negotiations to address differences and build confidence -- provided that they uphold mutual respect, equitable treatment and non-selective application of international norms.

"Any sustainable and credible negotiation must respect the legitimate rights of all states under international law, and deliver tangible security benefits without coercion, unilateral demands or threats of force."

- 'Chaos and change' -

The United States and Israel threatened new military action against Iran after mass protests in the regime, which the Iranian authorities crushed at a cost of thousands of lives.

After last week's indirect talks with Washington through Omani mediators in Geneva, Tehran said they had reached broad agreement on a set of guiding principles.

Gharibabadi said that while Tehran sought the path of diplomacy, it was prepared to defend its sovereignty, territory and people, insisting it would exercise its right to self-defense "if necessary".

He said meaningful progress in disarmament and non-proliferation could only be achieved through mutual, balanced and legally-binding commitments.

He called upon nuclear weapons states to engage constructively in talks towards a comprehensive nuclear weapons convention, plus offer legally-binding security assurances for countries without nuclear weapons.

Speaking just before, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the world was living through a period of "chaos and change", with international law being brazenly violated.

"The international order that defined security relations for nearly eight decades is shifting rapidly. The reckless use of force in many regions is fomenting mistrust," he warned.

World

Netanyahu Says Israel Facing ‘Challenging Days’ with Iran-US Tensions

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech during a plenary session of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, 23 February 2026. (EPA)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech during a plenary session of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, 23 February 2026. (EPA)
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Netanyahu Says Israel Facing ‘Challenging Days’ with Iran-US Tensions

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech during a plenary session of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, 23 February 2026. (EPA)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech during a plenary session of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, 23 February 2026. (EPA)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel was facing "complex and challenging days" as tensions escalate between the United States and Iran following President Donald Trump's threat of strikes should Tehran refuse to accept a new nuclear agreement.

"We are in very complex and challenging days," Netanyahu told lawmakers in a brief address to parliament. "We are keeping our eyes open and are prepared for any scenario."

He also reiterated a warning to Iran's leadership: "I have conveyed to the Iranian regime that if they make the gravest mistake in their history and attack the State of Israel, we will respond with a force they cannot even imagine."

The premier further highlighted Israel's close military cooperation with the US, as Washington continues to build up its military presence near Iran and in the Middle East.

"The alliance with the United States has never been closer," Netanyahu said.

"Between the Israel forces and the United States military, between our security agencies and their security services, there has never been anything like this," he added.

Arch-foes Israel and Iran faced each other in a first direct confrontation last June during a 12-day war in which the Israeli military targeted Tehran's nuclear facilities and ballistic missile arsenal.

Iran responded with drone and missile strikes on Israel. Later on in the war, the United States joined Israel in targeting Iran's underground nuclear facilities.

World

Iranian Students Protest for Third Day as US Pressure Mounts

Iranians drive along a street in Tehran, Iran, 23 February 2026. (EPA)
Iranians drive along a street in Tehran, Iran, 23 February 2026. (EPA)
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Iranian Students Protest for Third Day as US Pressure Mounts

Iranians drive along a street in Tehran, Iran, 23 February 2026. (EPA)
Iranians drive along a street in Tehran, Iran, 23 February 2026. (EPA)

Iranian students ‌defied authorities with protests for a third day on Monday, weeks after security forces crushed mass unrest with thousands killed and as the United States weighs possible air strikes against the country.

State media outlets reported students chanting anti-government slogans at Tehran University, burning flags at the all-women al-Zahra University, and scuffles at Amir Kabir University, all located in the capital.

Reuters also verified video showing students at al-Zahra University chanting slogans including "we'll reclaim Iran", but was not able ‌to confirm ‌when it was recorded.

In a new ‌sign ⁠of the mounting ⁠tension in the Middle East, the United States began pulling non-essential personnel and family members from the embassy in Beirut, a senior State Department official said.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened Iran since major nationwide protests across the country in January, saying on Thursday that "really bad things will ⁠happen" if talks between the countries fail ‌to produce a deal.

Washington wants ‌Iran to give up much of its nuclear program, which ‌it believes is aimed at building a bomb, limit the ‌range of its missiles to short distances and stop supporting groups it backs in the Middle East.

It has built up forces across the Middle East, putting increased pressure on Iran ‌as it weighs its response to US demands amid ongoing talks.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali ⁠Khamenei ⁠already faces the gravest crisis of his 36-year tenure, with an economy struggling under the weight of international sanctions and growing unrest that broke out into major protests in January.

On Sunday Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said negotiations with the US had "yielded encouraging signals" even as a second US aircraft carrier headed towards the Middle East.

Trump has not laid out in detail his thinking on any possible Iran strike. A senior White House official told Reuters last week there was still no "unified support" within the administration to go ahead with an attack.