Iran in February 2026: the most important developments in politics
In February 2026, Iran's talks with the United States ended in US and Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was dead; Iranian state media denied it, and no independent verification was reported. The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting, where the United States defended its actions and others urged restraint. Iran and Russia called the strikes aggression, Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz and France's President Emmanuel Macron condemned them, and Congress moved toward a vote on war powers.
Diplomacy ran through three rounds of indirect nuclear talks: in Muscat on 6 February, in Geneva on 17 February and again on 26 February, after which a mediator reported 'significant progress' and technical talks were set for Vienna. The sides differed on scope. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said missiles and regional proxy groups must be covered, while Iran said its ballistic missile program was 'never negotiable', ruled out giving up enrichment, and said it could dilute enriched uranium if all US sanctions were lifted. On 19 February Trump set a deadline of 10 to 15 days. On 27 February he said he was frustrated and considering military action, and the United States and United Kingdom pulled back staff.
Netanyahu met Trump in Washington on 11 February and said any deal must address missiles and proxies. Trump said a change of power in Iran would be the best outcome, and exiled prince Reza Pahlavi called for US intervention. A second US aircraft carrier was reported heading to the region, and the United Kingdom said it had not allowed use of its bases. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that a strike would be 'playing with fire'.
On 1 February Iran declared European armies 'terrorist groups', after the European Union listed the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization. A court sentenced Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi to a further six to seven years in prison, and another court issued a death sentence linked to the January unrest.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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