US ambassador said to tell embassy staffers: If you want to leave Israel, ‘do so TODAY’

US authorizes some personnel to leave over ‘safety risks’ * USS Gerald Ford set to arrive off coast of Israel today * Iran’s FM: US must drop ‘excessive demands’ to reach a deal By ToI StaffToday, 2:28 am The Times of Israel is liveblogging Friday’s events as they unfold. 8min ago Huckabee said to tell embassy staffers: If you want to leave Israel, ‘do so TODAY’ US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee attends the lobby for Israel–United States relations at the Knesset in Jerusalem, February 25, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90) US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee reportedly tells embassy staffers that if …

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Iran to propose to US a temporary halt to uranium enrichment – report

US negotiators reportedly have demanded Iran must dismantle Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites and hand over enriched uranium, insisting any new deal must be permanent i24NEWS February 26, 2026 at 08:18 AM ■ latest revision February 26, 2026 at 08:21 AM Negotiations between the United States and Iran are ongoing in Geneva as both sides attempt to find a diplomatic solution to the escalating nuclear standoff. According to US officials speaking to the Wall Street Journal, American negotiators have made clear that Iran must dismantle its three main nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, and surrender its remaining enriched uranium to …

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US raises stakes with F-22s landing in Israel as Trump weighs options against Iran

American F-22 fighter jets landed at an Israeli Air Force base on Tuesday evening amid rising tensions between the US and Iran. US President Donald Trump, flanked by Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick speaks during a press briefing at the White House, following the Supreme Court’s ruling that Trump had exceeded his authority when he […]

Witkoff: US demanding Iran agrees to nuclear deal that lasts indefinitely – Axios

Witkoff told a private gathering of AIPAC donors in Washington that the Trump administration aims to sign a deal without a “sunset clause.” US envoy Steve Witkoff visiting the US’s CMCC near Kiryat Gat, Israel, October 21, 2025; illustrative.(photo credit: CHAIM GOLDBERG/FLASH90)ByTOBIAS HOLCMAN FEBRUARY 25, 2026 22:31Updated: FEBRUARY 25, 2026 22:47The Trump administration is demanding that Iran agree to a […]

Iran submits new nuclear proposal ahead of Geneva talks with US

This diplomatic meeting is seen as a pivotal moment for both nations and a last chance to avoid a military confrontation. Illustrative image of US President Donald Trump and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.(photo credit: MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY) VIA REUTERS, Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS, […]

US raises stakes with F-22s landing in Israel as Trump weighs options against Iran

American F-22 fighter jets landed at an Israeli Air Force base on Tuesday evening amid rising tensions between the US and Iran.  US President Donald Trump, flanked by Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick speaks during a press briefing at the White House, following the Supreme Court’s ruling that Trump had exceeded his authority when he imposed tariffs, in Washington, DC, US, February 20, 2026.(photo credit: REUTERS/KEVIN LAMARQUE/FILE PHOTO)ByJERUSALEM POST STAFFFEBRUARY 24, 2026 16:54Updated: FEBRUARY 25, 2026 12:30 US President Donald Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with the limits of US military leverage against Iran, according to CBS News, citing sources familiar with the matter.  …

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Iranians prefer ‘precise’ Israeli strike over US attack as protests resume at universities

An Iranian local told KAN Reshet Bet that anti-regime activists would prefer an Israeli strike for its precision, as they await a US attack on the regime amid ongoing protests and brutal crackdowns. IAF fighter jets taking off for strikes in Iran, June 16, 2025.(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT) ByJAMES GENN FEBRUARY 22, 2026 17:37Updated: FEBRUARY 22, 2026 20:12 Iranians, while “waiting every minute and second” for a US strike against the Islamic Regime, would prefer an Israeli strike due to the precise nature of the Air Force’s strikes in June, while there is a perception that US strikes would “bring terrible destruction, like in …

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Iran could order proxies to attack American targets in retaliation if US strikes – NYT

Attacks could reportedly include the Houthis resuming its attacks on Western shipping boats in the Red Sea, or Hezbollah, al-Qaeda, and other “affiliates” attacking US bases or embassies in Europe. People wave flags next to an Iranian missile on display during the 46th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Tehran, Iran, February 10, 2025.(photo credit: MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY) VIA REUTERS) ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM FEBRUARY 23, 2026 02:48 Iran may order its proxies to retaliate against American targets worldwide should US President Donald Trump order “large-scale attacks” against the regime, the New York Times reported on Sunday evening, citing US and Western officials.  Speaking …

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World will know if Iran peace possible in next 10 days, Donald Trump tells Board of Peace

“It looks like Hamas will be getting rid of their weapons,” Trump added. “They said ‘they’re not afraid to die,’ but they are.” President Trump speaks at inaugural Board of Peace meeting ByREUTERS,  JERUSALEM POST STAFF FEBRUARY 19, 2026 07:34Updated: FEBRUARY 19, 2026 18:59 US President Donald Trump presided over the first meeting of his Board of Peace on Thursday, with unresolved questions on the likelihood of war with Iran hanging over an event that included representatives from more than 45 nations. The president said that he would “find out about Iran in about 10 days,” Trump added. “We do have some work to do …

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US strikes on Iran could target individual leaders, officials say

The latest revelations reported on by Reuters suggest granular, ambitious planning ahead of a decision by Trump, who has in recent days publicly floated the idea of regime change in Iran. An anti-US mural on a building in Tehran, Iran, February 17, 2026(photo credit: MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY) VIA REUTERS) ByREUTERS FEBRUARY 20, 2026 17:17Updated: FEBRUARY 20, 2026 17:37 United States military planning on Iran has reached an advanced stage with options including targeting individuals as part of an attack and even pursuing regime change in Tehran, if ordered by US President Donald Trump, two US officials told Reuters. The military options …

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Khamenei’s threat: Iran can hit US Navy so hard it ‘cannot get up again’

Iran’s supreme leader threatened US military power, rejected limits on Iran’s missile program, and criticized Washington after US aircraft carriers were sent to the region. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, February 17, 2026.(photo credit: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS )ByJAMES GENN FEBRUARY 17, 2026 14:46Updated: FEBRUARY 17, 2026 21:35 Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threatened the US military, saying that the “strongest military force may be struck so hard that it cannot get up again,” in a post on X/Twitter on Tuesday. In reacting to the US sending aircraft carriers to …

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JD Vance says Iran still won’t accept Donald Trump’s ‘red lines’ after Geneva talks

“If Iran gets a nuclear weapon, there are a lot of other regimes, some friendly, some not so friendly, who would get nuclear weapons after them,” Vance said. US Vice President JD Vance holds a joint press conference with Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (not pictured), in Yerevan, Armenia, February 9, 2026.(photo credit: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/POOL)ByLARA SUKSTER MOSHEYOFFEBRUARY 18, 2026 09:21Updated: FEBRUARY 18, 2026 09:55 US Vice President JD Vance said that Iran is not yet willing to acknowledge some of US President Donald Trump’s “red lines,” particularly those regarding the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, following Tuesday’s negotiations in Geneva. “In some ways it went …

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