 U.S. tries to persuade Iran to use its influence over Houthis. The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden reportedly held behind the scenes negotiations with Iran to solicit Tehran's help in pressuring Yemen's Houthi rebels to halt their attacks on commercial cargo ships in the Red Sea. The talks were held in January in Oman. The Financial Times reported citing unidentified U.S. and Iranian officials. Omani officials acted as intermediaries shuttling between the American and Iranian negotiators so they could communicate without making direct contact with each other. The Houthi attacks have continued unabated, suggesting that the secret negotiations failed to achieve the desired results. The Financial Times did not specify whether Iran rejected the U.S. request or tried unsuccessfully to persuade the rebels to cease their rocket and drone attacks. Iranian leaders have claimed that although Tehran supports the militant group politically, the Houthis act independently. Iran has reportedly sought to avoid escalation of tensions with Washington, discouraging its affiliated militias from further attacks on American military bases in Iraq and Syria after three U.S. troops were killed in a drone strike near the Jordanian-Syrian border in late January. An Iranian official told the publication that when a key general visited Baghdad last month, he advised Iraqi militias to manage their behavior in a way that will not allow America to engage Iran. U.S. negotiators, led by White House Middle East adviser Brett McGurk and envoy Abram Paley also expressed concerns about Iran's expanding nuclear program. According to the report, Iran was represented by its Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani, who is Tehran's lead nuclear negotiator. The Biden administration sees indirect communication channels as a method for raising the full range of threats emanating from Iran, the Financial Times said. The White House negotiators conveyed to the Iranians what they need to do in order to prevent a wider conflict as they claim they want. A second round of talks, reportedly scheduled for last month, was delayed because McGurk was focused on trying to help broker a ceasefire in the Israel Hamas War. On March 14, the Free Russian Legion, which announced that it had entered the territory of Russia's Kursk region, blew up and destroyed two ammunition depots belonging to the Russian Army in Tkino village of the region. The images were shared on the Telegram channel of the Legion. Legion fighters also released a video of the destruction of two armored fighting vehicles belonging to the invading Russian Army on the border.It should be noted that on March 13, the Free Russian Legion, the Russian Volunteer Corps, and the Siberian Battalion, which are part of the Ukrainian Army, warned that they would again enter the territory of Belgorod in Kursk and conduct an operation. They demanded the provincial administration to evacuate the local population. Currently, it is said that the shooting continues in Kursk and Belgorod regions.