With Pres. Trump’s declaration that the Supreme Leader has approximately 10 days (to give up everything essentially, and to move to Moscow), there will probably be slow news the next week or so, as the past week or so. Remember, the Regime thinks it will last 1,000 years and will become the Shia Crescent across the Middle East. Its leaders get wealthy, the people must obey and suffer. Iran will give up very little over the last of the negotiating period, it will hunker down to avoid the oncoming bombings in retaliation for the Jan. 8-9 slaughter of its people. No other country is standing up for human rights as clearly as the U.S. (the UK would be wise to allow Fairford and Diego Garcia). Others are participating, but it will be up to the U.S. team to define which targets it wants to punish the Regime for the January killings. Those persons, and the Grand Ayatollah, are already in hiding. It is hard to communicate through message carriers. Ask Hamas. And Hezbollah. See “Trump says world has 10 days to see if Iran agrees deal or ‘bad things happen’,” BBC, 2-20-26.
“U.S. and Iran Make ‘Good Progress’ in Geneva Talks, Foreign Minister Says,” NYT, 2-17-26. The key to this story is notice that the info comes from the Iranian FM, not the U.S. or anyone else. Trying to shape the narrative. It has been somewhat difficult these past ten days or so following what is really happening in the negotiations. The U.S. is giving Iran a chance, and has the upper hand. But Iran, as it always does under the Regime, hesitates, hesitates, hesitates, always wanting to hang onto the Revolution. This means proxies, terror, missiles, the Shia Crescent. So it should be no surprise they aren’t appearing to really give up anything.
So notice the next story from the WSJ. “Vance Says Iran Is Ignoring Core U.S. Demands in Talks,” WSJ, 2-17-26.
“US sending world’s biggest aircraft carrier to Middle East as tensions with Iran increase,” The Hill, 2-13-26.
A fair article that makes the point that Iran could attack 11 countries in retaliation. “The options Mr. Trump has been weighing include military action targeting Iran’s nuclear program and ability to launch ballistic missiles …. He is also considering options that would include sending American commandos to go after certain Iranian military targets.” See “As Diplomats Talk, Pentagon Prepares for Possible War With Iran,” NYT, 2-13-26.
“Exclusive: Binance fires top investigators who claim to have uncovered evidence of Iranian sanctions violations,” Fortune, 2-13-26. If we follow the no-association-with-Epstein rule, there are plenty of companies out there who have also violated sanctions rules. But this is very large—“evidence that entities tied to Iran had received more than $1 billion through the exchange from March 2024 through August 2025, in potential violation of sanctions laws. The transactions routed through Binance using the stablecoin Tether on a blockchain known as Tron.”
“Iranian state TV airs ‘hit list’ of seven top Israeli officials, including Netanyahu,” Times of Israel, 2-13-26.
“Trump sets one-month deadline for Iran deal,” Middle East Online, 2-13-26.
“Iran’s military degraded by 12-day war with Israel, but still has significant capabilities,” AP, 2-13-26.
Further signs of Iran’s influence waning. “U.S. Vacates a Key Military Base in Syria,” WSJ, 2-12-26. Al Tanf, key to controlling weapon flows, etc. from Iran to Hezbollah along the road from Baghdad to Damascus, has been handed over to the Syrian government. “The militia that the U.S. worked with at Al Tanf has joined forces with Syria’s government. Iran-aligned militias have launched attacks on U.S. forces in Syria in recent years, but those groups were mostly pushed out of the country after the Assad regime fell. Sharaa, a former longtime leader of an anti-Iran insurgency, has said he is determined to keep Tehran’s influence out of the country.” The U.S. force is not far from Al Tanf, though, redeployed in Jordan.
“Why the U.S. Hasn’t Yet Struck Iran,” Atlantic, 2-12-26. While this source is reflexively critical of the President, it does make the point that the objective must be clear. In that vein, the warning was given to not hurt protesters, so those persons are accountable. The U.S. is not intent on regime change, as it has said and which would require invasion and overseeing a new government—that is up to the people of Iran. But the U.S. can make their efforts easier with its first and only stated priority to date.
“U.S. Aircraft Carrier Will Be Sent to the Middle East From Venezuela, Officials Say,” NYT, 2-12-26.
“Turkey: US and Iran near compromise on nuclear deal, warns against expanding talks,” i24, 2-12-26.
“Lyse Doucet: In Tehran, rallies for Iran’s revolution overshadowed by discontent and defiance,” BBC, 2-11-26. The BBC has the video of during the Tehran celebration of the 47th year after the Iranian revolution the calls of “death to the dictator” across the city.
“Iranian brutality: Nobel laureate fighting for life after barbaric assault at notorious prison,” Fox, 2-11-26.
“Turkey could join nuclear arms race if Iran acquires bomb, Hakan Fidan warns,” JPost, 2-10-26. “”If Iran gets a nuclear weapon, it will not be possible for others to remain indifferent,” [FM] Fidan said in the interview. He added that the outcome would not be limited to Iran, warning of a chain reaction across the Middle East driven by deterrence logic and heightened threat perceptions.”
“Iran strikes coming? US vessels warned to stay away from territorial waters,” The Hill, 2-10-26. Most of these maritime warnings were already in place to protect shipping from IRGC hostage taking throughout the year. Similar, see “Satellite images show Iran sealing off nuclear site,” i-24, 2-10-26.
“Iran arrests leading reformists close to president amid crackdown on protest critics,” i24, 2-9-26. Azar Mansouri, Ebrahim Asgharzadeh, Mohsen Aminzadeh, and others are ordered to turn themselves in at police stations. “Iranian prosecutors accused those arrested of “targeting national unity, taking a stance against the constitution, promoting surrender, perverting political groups, and creating secret subversive mechanisms.” Judiciary head Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei added that critics within Iran were acting in agreement with “the Zionist regime and America” and warned they would “suffer losses.” The arrests appear aimed at preventing the spread of criticism over the handling of the protests, which followed reports of thousands killed. … These detentions come amid a wider crackdown on human rights defenders. … Human rights groups have condemned the crackdown as part of a broader effort by Tehran to silence dissent and suppress accountability for the violent response to nationwide demonstrations, highlighting ongoing concerns over political freedoms in Iran.” Further proof that the Regime will not reform. The people are left with only one choice.
“This is the largest mass killing in contemporary Iranian history and one of the largest in the world,” Payam Akhavan, an Iranian Canadian former UN prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, in The Hague, told BBC News Persian. See “Machine guns to machetes: Weapons that massacred thousands in Iran,” BBC, 2-9-26.
“Iran Detains Prominent Political Figures, Expanding Crackdown on Dissent,” NYT, 2-9-26.
“Iran defies US threats to insist on right to enrich uranium,” CAN, 2-9-26.
So true. “Iran’s persistent claims that these weapons are purely for defense or deterrence are contradicted by its use of them against Iraqi Kurdistan in particular. In reality, it’s hard to think of any other country that relies so heavily on ballistic missiles in lieu of other, more conventional military capabilities and has shown such a willingness to use them at the slightest provocation.” See “Iran’s Ballistic Missiles Were Never Wholly For Defense Or Deterrence,” Forbes, 2-9-26.
“Iran says won’t stop uranium enrichment, is not scared by US military deployment in region,” Times of Israel, 2-8-26.
“Iran sentences Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi to 7 more years in prison,” AP, 2-8-26. Another leader the Regime would not mind seeing eliminated.
Every cause/people/subjugated group by Iran’s definition and help (really to make them proxies, such as Hezbollah, the Iraqi groups, the Alawites, Houthis, Hamas, Palestinians, etc.) has failed in the last 45 years. Other countries, dozens, have had to push back by Iran’s attempts to revolutionize the region and grow the Shia Crescent. So for the Leader and Araghchi to make these arguments against Israel (which are not consistent with history and state actions) is the pot calling the kettle black. See “Hitting out at Israel’s ‘expansionist project,’ Iran’s Araghchi says region ‘must not be reshaped by force’,” i-24, 2-7-26.
“Satellite images may reveal Iran trying to recover material from bombed nuclear sites,” CBC, 2-7-26.