عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Report: US Held Indirect Talks with Iran over Red Sea Attacks

In this photo provided by the Ministry of Defence, Sea Ceptor missiles are fired from HMS Richmond shooting down two Houthi drones, Saturday, March 9, 2024 in the Red Sea. (LPhot Chris Sellars/Ministry of Defence via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ministry of Defence, Sea Ceptor missiles are fired from HMS Richmond shooting down two Houthi drones, Saturday, March 9, 2024 in the Red Sea. (LPhot Chris Sellars/Ministry of Defence via AP)
TT
TT

Report: US Held Indirect Talks with Iran over Red Sea Attacks

In this photo provided by the Ministry of Defence, Sea Ceptor missiles are fired from HMS Richmond shooting down two Houthi drones, Saturday, March 9, 2024 in the Red Sea. (LPhot Chris Sellars/Ministry of Defence via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ministry of Defence, Sea Ceptor missiles are fired from HMS Richmond shooting down two Houthi drones, Saturday, March 9, 2024 in the Red Sea. (LPhot Chris Sellars/Ministry of Defence via AP)

Senior US and Iranian diplomats reportedly met secretly in Oman earlier this year as Washington tried to seek Tehran’s help in stopping attacks by Yemen’s Houthis in the Red Sea,

The top Middle East official at the White House, Brett McGurk, and the State Department’s Iran envoy, Abram Paley, headed the US delegation that met with an Iranian team, which Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani led, the Financial Times reported Wednesday.

According to the newspaper, which cited unnamed US and Iranian officials, the talks were indirect, with Omani officials relaying messages between the two camps.

During the indirect talks, American officials also sounded the alarm over Iran’s expanding nuclear program.

This first round of talks was held in January, with a second scheduled for February. But those talks never materialized as McGurk is busy trying to broker a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip in return for the release of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

South Korean President Arrested Over Failed Martial Law Bid

15 January 2025, South Korea, Seoul: A TV screen at Seoul Station, shows a report that police and the anti-corruption agency executed a second warrant to detain impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in connection to his short-lived imposition of martial law. Photo: -/YNA/dpa
15 January 2025, South Korea, Seoul: A TV screen at Seoul Station, shows a report that police and the anti-corruption agency executed a second warrant to detain impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in connection to his short-lived imposition of martial law. Photo: -/YNA/dpa
TT
TT

South Korean President Arrested Over Failed Martial Law Bid

15 January 2025, South Korea, Seoul: A TV screen at Seoul Station, shows a report that police and the anti-corruption agency executed a second warrant to detain impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in connection to his short-lived imposition of martial law. Photo: -/YNA/dpa
15 January 2025, South Korea, Seoul: A TV screen at Seoul Station, shows a report that police and the anti-corruption agency executed a second warrant to detain impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in connection to his short-lived imposition of martial law. Photo: -/YNA/dpa

Impeached South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested on Wednesday over his failed martial law bid, ending a weeks-long standoff with authorities and becoming the first president to be detained in the nation's history.

Yoon, who faces charges of insurrection over his short-lived effort to impose martial law last month, said he would comply with investigators to avoid "bloodshed.”

A former prosecutor who led the conservative People Power Party (PPP) to election victory in 2022, Yoon could face the death penalty or life in jail if he is found guilty of insurrection.

He had sought to evade arrest for weeks by remaining in his residential compound, protected by members of the Presidential Security Service (PSS) who had remained loyal to him.

His guards had installed barbed wire and barricades at the residence, turning it into what the opposition called a "fortress.”

Yoon, who had vowed to "fight to the end,” managed to thwart a first arrest attempt on January 3 following a tense hours-long impasse between the guards and anti-graft investigators working with police.

But before dawn on Wednesday, hundreds of police officers and investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office again surrounded the residence, some scaling perimeter walls and hiking up back trails to reach the main building.

After a standoff of about five hours, authorities announced Yoon had been arrested and the impeached leader released a pre-recorded video message.

"I decided to respond to the Corruption Investigation Office," Yoon said in the message, adding that he did not accept the legality of the investigation but was complying "to prevent any unfortunate bloodshed.”

AFP said that Yoon left his residence in a convoy and was taken to the offices of the Corruption Investigation Office.

Investigators began questioning Yoon shortly after his arrest, Yonhap reported.