Iran pushes back against Trump ahead of Geneva talks in face of major US
military deployment
[February 25, 2026]
By JON GAMBRELL
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran pushed back Wednesday against
U.S. President Donald Trump's pressure tactics ahead of critical talks
in Geneva over Tehran's nuclear program, alternating between calling his
remarks “big lies” to saying negotiations may yield an agreement through
“honorable diplomacy.”
The remarks by two Iranian officials ahead of Thursday's talks come as
America has assembled its biggest deployment of aircraft and warships
into the Middle East in decades, part of Trump's efforts to get a deal
while Iran struggles at home with growing dissent following nationwide
protests last month.
If the negotiations fails, Trump repeatedly has threatened to attack
Iran — something Mideast nations fear could spiral into a new regional
war as the embers of the yearslong Israel-Hamas war still smolder.
Already, Iran has said all U.S. military bases in the Mideast would be
considered legitimate targets, putting at risk the tens of thousands of
American service members in the region. U.S. warships typically docked
in Bahrain appear to have been sent to sea, satellite photos analyzed by
The Associated Press show.
Iran responds to Trump's State of the Union speech
Trump on Tuesday night in the U.S. gave his annual State of the Union
speech, touching on Iran and the nuclear negotiations.
“They’ve already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our
bases overseas, and they’re working to build missiles that will soon
reach the United States of America,” Trump said. “They were warned to
make no future attempts to rebuild their weapons program, and in
particular nuclear weapons, yet they continue. They’re starting it all
over.”
Satellite photos earlier analyzed by the AP showed Iran beginning to
rebuild its missile production sites and doing some work at the three
nuclear sites attacked by the U.S. in June. Iran long has maintained its
nuclear program is peaceful. The West and the International Atomic
Energy Agency say Iran had a nuclear weapons program until 2003. It had
been enriching uranium up to 60% purity before the June attack — a
short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.
Responding to Trump, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei
sought to compare him to Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitler’s propaganda
minister. He accused Trump and his administration of conducting a
“disinformation & misinformation campaign” against Iran.
“Whatever they’re alleging in regards to Iran’s nuclear program, Iran’s
ballistic missiles, and the number of casualties during January’s unrest
is simply the repetition of ‘big lies,'" Baghaei wrote on X.
Trump said in his speech at least 32,000 people were killed in the
protests, which is at the further end of estimates offered by activists
for the death toll. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activist News Agency has
so far counted more than 7,000 dead and believes the death toll is far
higher. Iran’s government, which long has downplayed death tolls in
other unrest, offered its only toll on Jan. 21, saying 3,117 people were
killed.
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Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran's parliament speaker, separately said
the U.S. could either try diplomacy or face Iran's wrath.
“If you choose the table of diplomacy — a diplomacy in which the
dignity of the Iranian nation and mutual interests are respected —
we will also be at that table," Qalibaf said, according to the
semiofficial Student News Network, a media outlet believed to be
close to the all-volunteer Basij force of Iran's paramilitary
Revolutionary Guard.
“But if you decide to repeat past experiences through deception,
lies, flawed analysis and false information, and launch an attack in
the midst of negotiations, you will undoubtedly taste the firm blow
of the Iranian nation and the country’s defensive forces.”
Talks hang in balance
Iran and the U.S. are due to meet Thursday in Geneva, their third
round of talks under the mediation of Oman, long an interlocutor
between Tehran and the West.
If the talks fail, uncertainty hangs over the timing of any possible
attack, as well as its mission and goals.
The U.S. has not made clear the aims of possible military action. If
the goal is to pressure Iran to make concessions in nuclear
negotiations, it’s not clear whether limited strikes will work. If
the goal is to remove Iran’s leaders, that will likely commit the
U.S. to a more massive, longer military campaign. There has been no
public sign of planning for what would come next, including the
potential for chaos in Iran.
The status of Iran’s nuclear program is another mystery. Trump
earlier said American strikes “obliterated” it. Now, dismantling
whatever remains of the program appears to be back on the
administration’s agenda. IAEA inspectors have not been allowed to
inspect those sites and verify what remains.
There is also uncertainty about what any military action could mean
for the wider region. Tehran could retaliate against the
American-allied nations of the Persian Gulf or Israel. Oil prices
have risen in recent days in part due to those concerns.
Satellite photos shot Tuesday by Planet Labs PBC and analyzed by the
AP appeared to show American vessels typically docked in Bahrain,
the home of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, all out at sea. The 5th Fleet
referred questions to the U.S. military's Central Command, which did
not immediately respond. Before Iran's attack on Qatar in June, the
5th Fleet similarly scattered its ships at sea to protect against a
potential attack.
___
Associated Press writer Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, contributed to
this report
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