This picture supplied Thursday Feb. 19, 2026 by the Iranian navy and dated Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2025, reveals navy ships conducting operations throughout a be part of drill by Iranian and Russian forces within the Indian Ocean.
Masoud Nazari Mehrabi/AP/Iran’s Military
cover caption
toggle caption
Masoud Nazari Mehrabi/AP/Iran’s Military
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran held annual navy drills with Russia on Thursday as a second American plane provider drew nearer to the Center East, with each the USA and Iran signaling they’re ready for warfare if talks on Tehran’s nuclear program fizzle out.
President Donald Trump stated Thursday he believes 10 to fifteen days is “enough time” for Iran to succeed in a deal. However the talks have been deadlocked for years, and Iran has refused to debate wider U.S. and Israeli calls for that it reduce its missile program and sever ties to armed teams. Oblique talks held in latest weeks made little seen progress, and one or each side might be shopping for time for remaining warfare preparations.
Iran’s theocracy is extra weak than ever following 12 days of Israeli and U.S. strikes on its nuclear websites and navy final 12 months, in addition to mass protests in January that have been violently suppressed.
In a letter to the U.N. Safety Council on Thursday, Amir Saeid Iravani, the Iranian ambassador to the U.N., stated that whereas Iran doesn’t search “tension or war and will not initiate a war,” any U.S. aggression might be responded to “decisively and proportionately.”
“In such circumstances, all bases, facilities, and assets of the hostile force in the region would constitute legitimate targets in the context of Iran’s defensive response,” Iravani stated.
Earlier this week, Iran carried out a drill that concerned live-fire within the Strait of Hormuz, the slim opening of the Persian Gulf by means of which a fifth of the world’s traded oil passes.
Tensions are additionally rising inside Iran, as mourners maintain ceremonies honoring slain protesters 40 days after their killing by safety forces. Some gatherings have seen anti-government chants regardless of threats from authorities.
Trump once more threatens Iran
The actions of further American warships and airplanes, with the united statesGerald R. Ford plane provider close to the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea, do not assure a U.S. strike on Iran — however they bolster Trump’s means to hold out one ought to he select to take action.
He has to this point held off on placing Iran after setting pink traces over the killing of peaceable protesters and mass executions, whereas reengaging in nuclear talks that have been disrupted by the warfare in June.
Iran has agreed to attract up a written proposal to handle U.S. issues raised throughout this week’s oblique nuclear talks in Geneva, in keeping with a senior U.S. official who was not approved to remark publicly and spoke on the situation of anonymity.
The official stated high nationwide safety officers gathered Wednesday to debate Iran, and have been briefed that the “full forces” wanted to hold out potential navy motion are anticipated to be in place by mid-March. The official didn’t present a timeline for when Iran is anticipated to ship its written response.
“It’s proven to be, over the years, not easy to make a meaningful deal with Iran, and we have to make a meaningful deal. Otherwise, bad things happen,” Trump stated Thursday.
With the U.S. navy presence within the area mounting, one senior regional authorities official stated he has pressured to Iranian officers in non-public conversations that Trump has confirmed that his rhetoric needs to be taken at face worth and that he is severe about his risk to hold out a strike if Iran would not supply satisfactory concessions.
The official, who spoke on the situation of anonymity to debate delicate diplomatic conversations, stated he has suggested the Iranians to look to how Trump has handled different worldwide points and draw classes on the way it ought to transfer ahead.
The official added that he is made to case to the Trump administration it may draw concessions from Iran within the near-term if it focuses on nuclear points and leaves the push on Tehran to reduce its ballistic missile program and help for proxy group for later.
The official additionally stated that Trump ordering a restricted strike geared toward pressuring Iran may backfire and result in Supreme Chief Ali Khamenei withdrawing Iran from the talks.
On this picture supplied by Sepahnews of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard on Feb. 16, 2026, reveals troops standing at consideration through the guard’s drill within the Persian Gulf on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026.
AP/Sepahnews
cover caption
toggle caption
AP/Sepahnews
Rising worldwide concern
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged his nation’s residents to right away go away Iran as “within a few, a dozen, or even a few dozen hours, the possibility of evacuation will be out of the question.” He didn’t elaborate, and the Polish Embassy in Tehran didn’t look like drawing down its workers.
The German navy stated that it had moved “a mid-two digit number of non-mission critical personnel” out of a base in northern Iraq due to the present scenario within the area and consistent with its companions’ actions. It stated that some troops stay to assist maintain the multinational camp working in Irbil, the place they practice Iraqi forces.
“This week, another 50 U.S. combat aircraft — F-35s, F-22s, and F-16s — were ordered to the region, supplementing the hundreds deployed to bases in the Arab Gulf states,” the New York-based Soufan Heart assume tank wrote. “The deployments reinforce Trump’s threat — restated on a nearly daily basis — to proceed with a major air and missile campaign on the regime if talks fail.”
Iran holds drill with Russia
Iranian forces and Russian sailors carried out the annual drills within the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean geared toward “upgrading operational coordination as well as exchange of military experiences,” Iran’s state-run IRNA information company reported.
Footage launched by Iran confirmed members of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s naval particular forces board a vessel within the train. These forces are believed to have been used up to now to grab vessels in key worldwide waterways.
Iran additionally issued a rocket-fire warning to pilots within the area, suggesting it deliberate to launch anti-ship missiles within the train.
In the meantime, monitoring knowledge confirmed the Ford off the coast of Morocco within the Atlantic Ocean noon Wednesday, that means the provider may transit by means of Gibraltar and probably station within the jap Mediterranean with its supporting guided-missile destroyers.
It might possible take greater than per week for the Ford to be off the coast of Iran.
Netanyahu warns Iran
Israel is making its personal preparations for attainable Iranian missile strikes in response to any U.S. motion.
“We are prepared for any scenario,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated Thursday, including that if Iran assaults Israel, “they will experience a response they cannot even imagine.”
Netanyahu, who met with Trump final week, has lengthy pushed for harder U.S. motion towards Iran and says any deal mustn’t solely finish its nuclear program however curb its missile arsenal and power it to chop ties with militant teams like Hamas and Hezbollah.
Iran has stated the present talks ought to solely give attention to its nuclear program, and that it hasn’t been enriching uranium for the reason that U.S. and Israeli strikes final summer season. Trump stated on the time that the strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear websites, however the precise injury is unknown as Tehran has barred worldwide inspectors.
Iran has all the time insisted its nuclear program is peaceable. The U.S. and others suspect it’s geared toward finally creating weapons. Israel is extensively believed to have nuclear weapons however has neither confirmed nor denied that.
