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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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World

USS Gerald Ford, World’s Largest Aircraft Carrier, at US Base on Crete 

Aircraft are on the deck of the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier at Souda Bay on the island of Crete, Greece, February 24, 2026. (Reuters) 
Aircraft are on the deck of the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier at Souda Bay on the island of Crete, Greece, February 24, 2026. (Reuters) 
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USS Gerald Ford, World’s Largest Aircraft Carrier, at US Base on Crete 

Aircraft are on the deck of the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier at Souda Bay on the island of Crete, Greece, February 24, 2026. (Reuters) 
Aircraft are on the deck of the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier at Souda Bay on the island of Crete, Greece, February 24, 2026. (Reuters) 

The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier, has reached the US naval base of Souda Bay on Crete, en route to joining a massive military build-up in the Middle East.

President Donald Trump, who ordered strikes on Iran last year, has repeatedly threatened Tehran with fresh military action if it does not cut a new deal on its contentious nuclear program, which the West fears is aimed at building an atomic weapon.

The Ford reached the Greek island on Monday, according to an AFP photographer.

The Greek defense ministry declined to comment on the aircraft carrier's arrival, and the US embassy in Athens did not immediately respond to questions from AFP.

US Naval Support Activity Souda Bay is home to approximately 1,000 people, including active duty military, US civilian employees, local national employees, contractors, and family members.

Washington currently has more than a dozen warships in the Middle East: one aircraft carrier -- the USS Abraham Lincoln -- nine destroyers and three littoral combat ships.

It is rare for there to be two US aircraft carriers -- which carry dozens of warplanes and are crewed by thousands of sailors -- in the Middle East.

The United States had two of the massive warships in the region in June last year when it bombed three Iranian nuclear sites during Israel's 12-day war with Iran.

In his first term in office, Trump abandoned a landmark 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that placed curbs on its atomic activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

Following the United States' withdrawal, Iran began enriching uranium at higher levels -- up to 60 percent, near the 90 percent needed for a bomb -- though it has always maintained its program is strictly peaceful.

A previous round of nuclear diplomacy last year fell apart when Israel launched its surprise campaign against the country.

World

Air Ambulance Plunges into Eastern India Forest, Killing 7

People watch wreckage of a Beechcraft C90 air ambulance aircraft after it crashed Monday into a forest near Ranchi, the capital of Indian state of Jharkhand, Tuesday, Feb.24, 2026. (AP Photo/Saikat Chatterjee)
People watch wreckage of a Beechcraft C90 air ambulance aircraft after it crashed Monday into a forest near Ranchi, the capital of Indian state of Jharkhand, Tuesday, Feb.24, 2026. (AP Photo/Saikat Chatterjee)
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Air Ambulance Plunges into Eastern India Forest, Killing 7

People watch wreckage of a Beechcraft C90 air ambulance aircraft after it crashed Monday into a forest near Ranchi, the capital of Indian state of Jharkhand, Tuesday, Feb.24, 2026. (AP Photo/Saikat Chatterjee)
People watch wreckage of a Beechcraft C90 air ambulance aircraft after it crashed Monday into a forest near Ranchi, the capital of Indian state of Jharkhand, Tuesday, Feb.24, 2026. (AP Photo/Saikat Chatterjee)

An air ambulance crashed into a dense forest in eastern India, killing all seven people on board, authorities said.

The Beechcraft C90 aircraft operated by Redbird Airways Pvt. Ltd. lost control minutes after taking off from Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand state, on Monday, the country’s aviation watchdog said in a statement.

The plane was carrying a critically ill burn patient to New Delhi for advanced medical treatment. He was accompanied by a doctor, a paramedic and two family members. The other two people on board were the pilot and co-pilot.

“All seven persons on board the air ambulance are dead and their bodies sent for postmortem,” senior local official Keerthishree G. told The Associated Press from the accident site Tuesday.

State officials suspect the aircraft lost control after passing through turbulence caused by bad weather.

A team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is being dispatched to investigate the cause of the accident, according to a statement from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

Local media cited eyewitnesses as saying they heard a loud explosion before seeing smoke rise from a heavily forested area, prompting local authorities to rush to the scene.

Air ambulances are frequently used in India to transport critically ill patients from smaller cities to major medical centers.

The crash adds to concerns over aviation safety during adverse weather conditions, especially in regions with challenging terrain.

It comes weeks after a private plane carrying a senior state official crashed in western India, killing all five people on board.

World

Iran Says Students Have Right to Protest but Must Know ‘Red Lines’ 

This video grab taken from UGC images posted on social media on February 23, 2026, and verified by AFPTV teams in Paris, shows students gathering for an anti-government rally at the all-female Alzahra university in Tehran. (UGC / AFP)
This video grab taken from UGC images posted on social media on February 23, 2026, and verified by AFPTV teams in Paris, shows students gathering for an anti-government rally at the all-female Alzahra university in Tehran. (UGC / AFP)
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Iran Says Students Have Right to Protest but Must Know ‘Red Lines’ 

This video grab taken from UGC images posted on social media on February 23, 2026, and verified by AFPTV teams in Paris, shows students gathering for an anti-government rally at the all-female Alzahra university in Tehran. (UGC / AFP)
This video grab taken from UGC images posted on social media on February 23, 2026, and verified by AFPTV teams in Paris, shows students gathering for an anti-government rally at the all-female Alzahra university in Tehran. (UGC / AFP)

University students have the right to protest but everyone must "understand the red lines", the Iranian government's spokeswoman said Tuesday, in the first official reaction to renewed rallies on campuses since the weekend.

"Sacred things and the flag are two examples of these red lines that we must protect and not cross or deviate from, even at the height of anger," Fatemeh Mohajerani said.

She said Iran's students "have wounds in their hearts and have seen scenes that may upset and anger them; this anger is understandable".

University students in Iran started a new semester Saturday with pro- and anti-government rallies, according to local media, reviving slogans from nationwide demonstrations that peaked in January and led to thousands of deaths.

Protests first began in December sparked by economic woes in the sanctions-hit country but grew into nationwide demonstrations on January 8 and 9.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has recorded more than 7,000 deaths, while warning the full toll is likely far higher.

Iranian officials acknowledge more than 3,000 deaths, but say the violence was caused by "terrorist acts" fueled by the United States and Israel.

Mohajerani on Tuesday said a fact-finding mission is investigating "the causes and factors" of the protests and will provide reports.