2024-03-13 15:17ShareFont
Shafaq News/ An American report revealed, on Wednesday, details of secret talks that the United States recently held with Iran, in an attempt to persuade Tehran to use its influence in the region in general, and on the Houthis in particular, to end attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
In a report translated by Shafaq News Agency, the American newspaper “Financial Times” quoted American and Iranian officials as saying, “Indirect negotiations, during which Washington also raised concerns about the expanding Iranian nuclear program, took place in the Sultanate of Oman late last January.” It was the first between the two warring parties in 10 months.”
According to the newspaper, the American delegation was headed by White House Middle East Advisor Brett McGurk and his Iranian envoy Abram Paley, while Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani, who is also the top nuclear negotiator in Tehran, represented the Islamic Republic’s delegation.
According to the newspaper, these conversations confirm. How the Biden administration is using diplomatic channels with its enemy, along with military deterrence, in an attempt to calm a wave of regional hostilities involving Iranian-backed militant groups sparked by the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
The Financial Times report quoted a person familiar with the matter as saying, “American officials see an indirect channel with Iran as a way to raise the full range of threats emanating from Iran, including conveying what they need to do in order to prevent a broader conflict.” They claim they want.”
US officials added that a second round of negotiations involving McGurk was scheduled to take place in February, but was postponed when it became tied to US efforts to broker an agreement between Israel and Hamas to stop the war in Gaza and secure the release of Israeli hostages held in the Strip.
According to the American report, the last known talks between the United States and Iran were also the so-called indirect talks in May 2023.
The report stated, “Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, ignited the fuse of war in the region, as Hezbollah, the Lebanese armed movement, exchanged fire on a daily basis across the border with Israel. The Houthis also attacked dozens of ships, including commercial ships.” and US naval ships, while Iraqi factions allied with Iran launched dozens of missiles and drones against US forces in Iraq and Syria.
The report indicated positive signs that Tehran has sought to ease tensions with Washington since a drone attack on a US military base on the Jordanian-Syrian border killed three American soldiers.
After US President Joe Biden pledged to hold accountable those behind the attack, Iran withdrew senior leaders of the elite Revolutionary Guard from Syria. Days later, on February 2, US forces carried out a wave of attacks against Iranian-affiliated forces in Syria and Iraq.
No attacks have been launched against US bases in Iraq and Syria since February 4, with US officials saying there are indications that Tehran has worked to rein in Iraqi militias.
The Iranian official stated that when the commander of the Quds Force in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Ismail Qaani, visited those responsible for the attacks in Baghdad last month, he asked them to “adjust their behavior in a way that does not allow America to clash with Iran,” but he stressed that Iran’s ultimate goal is to expel American forces from… Iraq and Syria. It also wants to avoid a direct conflict with the United States or Israel, and avoid a full-fledged regional war.
However, the Houthis have continued to attack shipping, despite multiple strikes by the US and UK against their military facilities, with the group launching 99 attacks in the Red Sea and surrounding waters, affecting 15 commercial ships, including four US ships – Since October 2023, according to a Financial Times report.
Search 4 Dinar 