According to Israeli observers, President Donald Trump is disappointed with the Islamic Republic of Iran’s responses so far in the negotiation taking place in Oman. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s chief negotiator, refuses to discuss anything other than Iran’s nuclear program. Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal, and its missile manufacturing plants, are, according to Iran, off limits. So is the question of Iran’s continued support for its proxies, the terror groups Hamas and Hezbollah. Even about the nuclear question, Iran is unwilling to make any of the concessions Trump has demanded. As of February 2026, Iran has consistently refused to give up entirely its uranium enrichment capabilities or to completely surrender its 400 kg.stockpile of uranium enriched to a level of 60% (one level below weapons-grade 90% enrichment), thus marking a central sticking point in negotiations with the U.S.
While Iran has signaled openness to negotiating limits on its program in exchange for sanctions relief, it has rejected demands for zero enrichment on its soil. Thus America’s minimum demand and Iran’s maximum concession do not meet. Trump is also becoming aware that the Iranians are not negotiating in good faith, but are playing for time, hoping to stomp out every vestige of the nationwide protests that shook the regime a few weeks ago, before there might be an American attack in the midst of a renewal of such protests. And he is constantly reminded of his failure to do as he promised he would, when he threatened to attack the Iranian regime if it continued to attack the protesters. The attacks continued, albeit at a slower pace since the protests themselves subsided, but Trump did not attack. “US likely to attack Iran, but Trump has not yet decided to do so, sources tell ‘Post,'” by Yonah Jeremy Bob, Jerusalem Post, February 18, 2026:
The United States is likely to attack Iran eventually but not necessarily in the coming days, despite the spike in global media “noise” surrounding the conflict, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
Sources indicated that Israel’s impression is that US President Donald Trump has not yet decided on his final course of action, even if his disappointment in Iran’s negotiating positions this week makes an eventual American attack on Tehran more likely.
He is deeply disappointed in the unbending Iranian position, but not yet ready to give up on the negotiations. Trump will let the talks in Oman resume for one final try, hoping the Iranians will see the light — that Trump is actually willing to accept only limits on Iran’s nuclear enrichment while apparently parting company with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the importance of ending Iran’s current ballistic missile arsenal and production of new missiles, and not extracting from Iran a promise to give up supporting its terror proxies. He has now been pointedly referring to all of the military assets — the dozens of ships and the several hundred planes on the two aircraft carriers, USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford — that are now in the region, close to targets across Iran. Would he really have amassed what he calls his “massive armada,” only for it to end up being an impotent show that failed to have impressed the Iranians sufficiently to make them ready to surrender completely their nuclear enrichment facilities? Knowing Trump’s mentality, he would find such a result intolerable to his amour-propre. And therefore, it is most likely he will in the end bomb Iran, with a sustained campaign targeting again both the nuclear facilities at Fordow and Natanz, and also the new facility built 1608 meters under Pickaxe Mountain, just about a mile from Natanz. But this time, the Americans will likely also attack the ballistic missile arsenal, of about 1,500-2,000 missiles, and the plants that produce them. Right now, destroying those missiles is Israel’s highest priority; they are ready to be used now, while Iran won’t be able to make a nuclear bomb for several years.
Trump will this time let the Iranians take the full two weeks to decide if they want to make sufficient concessions on nuclear enrichment to forestall an American attack, but not much longer. Still smarting from criticism that he failed to deliver on his promise to the Iranian protesters, he is determined to show he means business. To me, that means that by the Ides of March, a fatidic date, it will be bombs away in the skies over Iran.
Walter Sieruk says
That belligerent and hostile tyrannical regime of Iran is preparing for war against the United States, so since those despots war with the US, as soon as they hit America first the US military should then come down hard with a strong might of military force . Eliminating those warmongering dictators first. Get it over with. As soon as possible.
President Trump is 100% right for siding the Iranian people in their righteous and just revolt against the brutal cruel oppressive and murderous tyrannical Islamic regime of Iran.
Most Americans well aware that back when Joe Biden was sitting in the Oval Office of the White House masquerading as a genuine m real US President , he, quickly caved ,to those Muslim despots of that Islamic tyranny of Iran giving in and granting them everything they demanded. Therefore,, straightening the oppressive grip of those Islamic tyrants on the Iranian people.
Consequently the people trapped in that brutal cruel death inflecting Islamic tyrannical regime didn’t dare endeavor into the righteous attempt to have their basic human rights and freedom to overthrow that horrendous “mullah regime” of Iran.
Now , with President Trump in Office , a real US President, ,who is not supporting and upholding those dictators of Iran but opposes them , unlike bogus “president ” Biden, the Iranian people are engaging in their noble action and quest to free themselves from the oppressive and deadly bondage of that horrific Islamic tyranny of Iran.
Walter Sieruk says
Back in time with President Trump’s first term of his administration on the date of 4/22/19 the US Secretary of State ,Michael Pompeo spoke of that brutal and oppressive tyranny which oppresses the people of Iran and said “We will not appease their oppressors as that last administration did .” Pompeo then stated, “We will support the Iranian people.”
As far back as on Tuesday, 2/5/ 19 in his second State on the Union a speech President Trump ,wisely, spoke of that Islamic tyranny of Iran as well as those in total power and complete of that tyrannical rogue state. For the President declared “It is a radical regime, they do bad, bad things.”
Moreover, an author of an article on a Freedom Site, Dariush Afshar, had explained the reality of the situation well when he wrote that the “People of Iran who fight for freedom in Iran and abroad put a huge gap and draw a prominent line between Iran and the Islamic regime in Tehran.”
This is sadly and tragically the terrible reality of this Islamic tyrannical regime of Iran. This Islamic tyranny has been well nicknamed “the mullahs regime” in which them mullahs and ayatollahs as well as other fiendish and fanatical Muslims in power have a strong and awful control of the Islamic regime of Iran and through their band of Islamic state “police” , who are called the “Revolutionary Guards “come down hard human rights of the Iranian people .
Therefore, the Iranian people who are trapped and forced to exist in this Islamic tyranny live in terrible fear of the mullahs and others in power in Iran. This is a tragic and sad reminder of the wisdom that was printed in the periodical of Benjamin Franklin which is entitled POOR RICHARDS’ ALMANAC that reads “Those who are feared are also hated.”
It also should be added, to this that the actual word “Republic” has on origin the Latin meaning “Of the people” With the mullahs ayatollahs in so much power and even influencing the parliament of this Islamic regime is tyranny is hardly a real republic .Furthermore the ruthless gang of thugs who are the stooges of those Muslim clerics, called the “Revolutionary Guards,” those Islamic State “police” come down hard on the human rights and freedoms of the Iranian people. Therefore the people do have the right to overthrow a tyranny. This reality had even been expressed and described by men of great intelligence .For example, the philosopher .John Locke. This is wisdom that mullahs and other villains in power in that Islamic tyranny don’t want the Iranian people to know about or understand.
Masha Berg says
I think bombing Iran during Ramadan on PURIM would be the ultimate move!!!
Wellington says
If no strike, then a defeat for Trump.
If a limited strike, then still a defeat for Trump.
If a massive strike but the Iranian regime does not crumble, though deprived of almost all weaponry, then not an outright defeat for Trump but not a victory either.
If a massive strike and this hideous theocratic Islamic regime, which has been in power since 1979 (thanks, Jimmy Carter, for another nothing from your woeful, pathetic Presidency), remains no more, then quite arguably a victory for America’s 47th President (though the Democrats won’t accord him such—a given), but what would replace said regime will determine the final verdict on Trump’s legacy in this regard.
After all, what now exists in Iraq and Afghanistan hardly redeems Bush 43’s legacy, now does it? And complicating all this is that assuming a tolerant Iranian regime replaces the one now, then it will have to have a capacity for defense that an American strike might take out in order to get rid of a most odious regime. Oh yeah, welcome to geopolitical chess at a very high level. Matters are indeed very fluid.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
One of the arguments I’ve heard from some of the Iranian fans of Trump – Mahyar Tousi, Goldie Ghamari and Armin Navabi – is that it takes time to put together a military operation, and that most of the impatient among us expect this to happen overnight, like in video games
Except that I recall that after 9/11, the bombing of Afghanistan starting on October 7th, 2001, less than a month after the hijacked crashes into the WTC and the Pentagon. Granted, the public support for retaliation was in the 90%, but it was still the same military that had to put together a plan. Whereas here, it’s been 2 months since Iran carried out a massacre following Trump’s threat, but here we are!
All that said, after moving a major armada and a whole host of aircraft to the region, if we ended up doing nothing, but the Iranian regime remained, we’d end up looking more ridiculous than we ever did under Obama, Biden or even Clinton
OLD GUY says
Yes Wellington it is vary complicated and sadly not just about right and wrong.
James Lincoln says
Looks like a deal – or a strike – within the next 10 days:
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/02/video-trump-threatens-iran-if-they-dont-make/
David Lakatos says
You don’t need much more proof that Communist and Islam are working together.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
That’s why the support so many Republicans have for Mujahideen Khalq – Giuliani, Pompeo, Bolton, Mike Walz, Mike Pence, Newt Gingrich, Patrick Bet-David and many more – is inexplicable. When in the streets of Iran, people are chanting “No islam, no Leftists and no Mujahids”. The last one refers to MEK, which is an islamo-communist cult
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAactj9ozyI
One memo to all Iran-watchers: support the toppling of the islamic regime, but beyond that, stay out of it! Let the Iranians, in a referendum, determine whether they want a monarchy or a republic, and respect whatever they decide. In the 1970s, the US made the mistake of supporting Khomenei when they realized that the Shah was unviable, and showed how much they understood either Iran or islam. The best thing we can do now, beyond toppling the regime, is stay out of it!
Sister Alberti says
I heard one podcaster say that the initial attacks must happen this weekend, while the moon is waning and the stealth bombers cannot be seen by the naked eye. I hope it’s true!