Trump warns of 'bad things' if Iran doesn't make a deal, as second US
carrier nears Mideast
[February 20, 2026]
By JON GAMBRELL
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran held annual military drills with
Russia on Thursday as a second American aircraft carrier drew closer to
the Middle East, with both the United States and Iran signaling they are
prepared for war if talks on Tehran's nuclear program fizzle out.
President Donald Trump said Thursday he believes 10 to 15 days is
“enough time” for Iran to reach a deal. But the talks have been
deadlocked for years, and Iran has refused to discuss wider U.S. and
Israeli demands that it scale back its missile program and sever ties to
armed groups. Indirect talks held in recent weeks made little visible
progress, and one or both sides could be buying time for final war
preparations.
Iran’s theocracy is more vulnerable than ever following 12 days of
Israeli and U.S. strikes on its nuclear sites and military last year, as
well as mass protests in January that were violently suppressed.
In a letter to the U.N. Security Council on Thursday, Amir Saeid Iravani,
the Iranian ambassador to the U.N., said that while Iran does not seek
“tension or war and will not initiate a war,” any U.S. aggression will
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 said.
Earlier this week, Iran conducted a drill that involved live-fire in the
Strait of Hormuz, the narrow opening of the Persian Gulf through which a
fifth of the world's traded oil passes.
Tensions are also rising inside Iran, as mourners hold ceremonies
honoring slain protesters 40 days after their killing by security
forces. Some gatherings have seen anti-government chants despite threats
from authorities.
Trump again threatens Iran
The movements of additional American warships and airplanes, with the
USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier near the mouth of the Mediterranean
Sea, don't guarantee a U.S. strike on Iran — but they bolster Trump's
ability to carry out one should he choose to do so.
He has so far held off on striking Iran after setting red lines over the
killing of peaceful protesters and mass executions, while reengaging in
nuclear talks that were disrupted by the war in June.
Iran has agreed to draw up a written proposal to address U.S. concerns
raised during this week’s indirect nuclear talks in Geneva, according to
a senior U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and
spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The official said top national security officials gathered Wednesday to
discuss Iran, and were briefed that the “full forces” needed to carry
out potential military action are expected to be in place by mid-March.
The official did not provide a timeline for when Iran is expected to
deliver 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 said Thursday.
With the U.S. military presence in the region mounting, one senior
regional government official said he has stressed to Iranian officials
in private conversations that Trump has proven that his rhetoric should
be taken at face value and that he’s serious about his threat to carry
out a strike if Iran doesn’t offer adequate concessions.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss
delicate diplomatic conversations, said he has advised the Iranians to
look to how Trump has dealt with other international issues and draw
lessons on how it should move forward.
The official added that he’s made to case to the Trump administration it
could draw concessions from Iran in the near-term if it focuses on
nuclear issues and leaves the push on Tehran to scale back its ballistic
missile program and support for proxy group for later.
The official also said that Trump ordering a limited strike aimed at
pressuring Iran could backfire and lead to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
withdrawing Iran from the talks.
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In this image provided by Sepahnews of the Iranian Revolutionary
Guard on Feb. 16, 2026, shows troops standing at attention during
the guard's drill in the Persian Gulf on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (Sepahnews
via AP)
Growing international concern
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged his nation's citizens to
immediately leave Iran as “within a few, a dozen, or even a few dozen
hours, the possibility of evacuation will be out of the question.” He
did not elaborate, and the Polish Embassy in Tehran did not appear to be
drawing down its staff.
The German military said that it had moved “a mid-two digit number of
non-mission critical personnel” out of a base in northern Iraq because
of the current situation in the region and in line with its partners’
actions. It said that some troops remain to help keep the multinational
camp running in Irbil, where they train 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 Center think 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 conducted the annual drills in the
Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean aimed at “upgrading operational
coordination as well as exchange of military experiences,” Iran's
state-run IRNA news agency reported.
Footage released by Iran showed members of the paramilitary
Revolutionary Guard's naval special forces board a vessel in the
exercise. Those forces are believed to have been used in the past to
seize vessels in key international waterways.
Iran also issued a rocket-fire warning to pilots in the region,
suggesting it planned to launch anti-ship missiles in the exercise.
Meanwhile, tracking data showed the Ford off the coast of Morocco in the
Atlantic Ocean midday Wednesday, meaning the carrier could transit
through Gibraltar and potentially station in the eastern Mediterranean
with its supporting guided-missile destroyers.
It would likely take more than a week for the Ford to be off the coast
of Iran.
Netanyahu warns Iran
Israel is making its own preparations for possible Iranian missile
strikes in response to any U.S. action.
“We are prepared for any scenario,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu said Thursday, adding that if Iran attacks Israel, “they will
experience a response they cannot even imagine.”
Netanyahu, who met with Trump last week, has long pushed for tougher
U.S. action against Iran and says any deal should not only end its
nuclear program but curb its missile arsenal and force it to cut ties
with militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
Iran has said the current talks should only focus on its nuclear
program, and that it hasn't been enriching uranium since the U.S. and
Israeli strikes last summer. Trump said at the time that the strikes had
“obliterated” Iran's nuclear sites, but the exact damage is unknown as
Tehran has barred international inspectors.
Iran has always insisted its nuclear program is peaceful. The U.S. and
others suspect it is aimed at eventually developing weapons. Israel is
widely believed to have nuclear weapons but has neither confirmed nor
denied that.
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Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran; Claudia Ciobanu
in Warsaw, Poland; Geir Moulson in Berlin; Farnoush Amiri in New York;
and Aamer Madhani and Michelle Price in Washington, contributed to this
report.
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