Iran (Washington Insider Magazine)— US and Iranian officials held informal talks last week in Oman to mitigate the rising tensions in the Middle East, according to two sources familiar with the meetings told the Axios portal. Abram Paley, the acting US envoy to Tehran, and Brett McGurk, President Joe Biden’s principal advisor for the region, were part of the US group.
Background of the Talks
These discussions mark the first informal talks between the two nations since similar meetings were held in Oman in January. The specifics of the Iranian representation in these talks remain undisclosed. When asked, both the White House and the State Department declined to comment on the conversations, which have so far been exclusively reported by Axios.
Official Responses and Statements
State Department Deputy Spokesman Vedant Patel, in a recent press conference, acknowledged that the US has channels to communicate with Iran as needed but did not provide details regarding the recent contacts.
Context of Recent Middle East Tensions
On April 13, Iran launched a significant attack involving over 300 drones, missiles, and ballistic missiles against Israel. This was the first such attack from Iranian soil, which Tehran claimed was retaliation for an April 1 attack on its consulate in Damascus, attributed to Israel, resulting in the deaths of six Syrians and seven members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, including two generals. In response, Israel allegedly attacked an S-300 air defense system at an Iranian airbase, although the Israeli military has not confirmed this.
Houthi Rebel Involvement and US Concerns
The Iranian regime’s cooperation with Yemen’s Houthi rebels has also increased, with the Houthis escalating their attacks on Western ships in the Red Sea since the beginning of the Gaza conflict. The Biden administration has urged Iran to cease its “unprecedented” supply of weaponry to the Houthis, which enable “reckless attacks” on ships in the Red Sea and elsewhere.
UN Security Council Discussion
According to Infobae, in his speech to the UN Security Council, U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood told the U.N. Security Council that if it wants to make progress toward ending the civil war in Yemen , it must act collectively to “call on Iran to stop its destabilizing role and insist that it cannot hide.”Wood highlighted evidence that Iran had been providing the Houthis with cutting-edge weaponry—including ballistic and cruise missiles—in defiance of UN sanctions.
US Terrorism Report
last week the United States published the new list of countries that “do not fully cooperate” fighting terrorism in which it included, as the previous year, North Korea, Syria , Venezuela and Iran . The report was presented to Congress by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as established by law.
