U.S. President Donald Trump will “indirectly” take part in U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations set to begin on Tuesday in Geneva, he said on Monday, expressing optimism that Tehran wants an agreement despite recent tensions.
Speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said, “I’ll be involved in those talks indirectly and they’ll be very important. We’ll see what can happen.”
“Iran’s a very tough negotiator—they’re good negotiators, or bad negotiators,” he added. “I would say they’re bad negotiators because we could have had a deal instead of sending the B-2s in to knock out their nuclear potential. I hope they’re going to be more reasonable. They want to make a deal.”
Asked whether he had been told a deal was nearly impossible, Trump responded, “No, no. I think they want to make a deal. I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal. They want to make a deal.”
Araghchi, Grossi partake in ‘technical’ talks
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has already arrived in Geneva for what will be a second round of indirect, Oman-mediated talks after an initial meeting in Muscat, with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner expected to lead the American delegation, according to Iranian state media and previous White House statements.
Araghchi met with International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi in Geneva on Monday in what both men described in X posts as “in-depth technical discussions,” with Araghchi saying that “nuclear experts” would join the talks. Araghchi also said on Monday that he was meeting with Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi ahead of Tuesday’s U.S. talks.
Just completed in-depth technical discussions with Iran’s Foreign Minister @araghchi in preparation for important negotiations scheduled for tomorrow in Geneva. pic.twitter.com/dBAinDrljc
— Rafael Mariano Grossi (@rafaelmgrossi) February 16, 2026
“I am in Geneva with real ideas to achieve a fair and equitable deal. What is not on the table: submission before threats,” Iran’s top diplomat wrote.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also weighed in ahead of the talks, using a series of X posts to warn that U.S. warships deployed near Iran could be sent by a weapon “to the bottom of the sea” and that even “the strongest military force in the world” can be struck so hard it “cannot get up again.”
The Islamist clerical ruler also seized on Trump’s own rhetoric, saying he had effectively admitted that Washington had failed for “47 years” to eliminate the Islamic Republic and vowing that the president “will not be able to do this” either.
World’s largest warship heading to Mideast waters
The president’s warning of the potential consequences of a deal not being struck comes amid a continued U.S. military buildup in the Middle East, with Trump redeploying the USS Gerald R. Ford—the world’s largest aircraft carrier and the largest warship ever constructed—from the Caribbean to Middle East waters. It joins the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group, which has been operating in the Arabian Sea since late January as part of a broader U.S. naval presence aimed at applying pressure on Tehran over its nuclear program and regional activities.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard launched naval drills on Monday in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waterways, according to the Associated Press.
A previous Iranian drill, announced in late January, drew a sharp response from U.S. Central Command, which said it acknowledged Iran’s right to operate in international airspace and waters but warned against any interference with American warships or commercial vessels.
Tensions escalated Feb. 4 when a U.S. Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone approaching the Lincoln in the Arabian Sea. The U.S. military also reported that Iran had harassed a U.S.-flagged, U.S.-crewed merchant vessel sailing through the strait.
The Iranian regime is seeking a nuclear agreement in exchange for sanctions relief. Jerusalem has expressed skepticism over a deal being struck and has insisted that the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile program and support for regional terror proxies be on the table, which the Iranians have refused to discuss.
Netanyahu: Iran ‘lies and cheats’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday reiterated his doubts regarding the possibility of any deal with Iran, which he said must include the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and not just stopping uranium enrichment.
“I will not hide from you that I express my skepticism of any deal with Iran, because, frankly, Iran is reliable on one thing: they lie, and they cheat,” Netanyahu said in a keynote speech to the annual gathering of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem.
In his first public address after meeting with Trump in Washington last week, the Israeli leader said that any agreement must remove all enriched nuclear material from Iran, dismantle its enrichment infrastructure, curb its ballistic-missile program and dismantle the axis of terror that Tehran has built across the region.
“There shall be no enrichment capability—not stopping the enrichment process, but dismantling the equipment and the infrastructure that allows you to enrich in the first place,” he said.
Huckabee: U.S. and Israel ‘absolutely aligned on Iran’
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, also addressing the Conference of Presidents in Jerusalem on Monday, said Washington and Jerusalem are “absolutely aligned on Iran,” calling the Islamic Republic “a global problem” and warning that at some point the United States will have to say “enough is enough” if Tehran does not curb its nuclear and ballistic programs or support for terror proxies.
“Talks are taking place. But can anything come from the talks this week that will bring peace? I honestly don’t know. There is significant doubt as to whether the Iranian nuclear threat, ballistic program and funding of terror will be removed. But if they were willing to do that, because they realize the consequences of not doing so, I’d be delighted,” said the former Republican governor of Arkansas.
“As I told the president, I hope that, miraculously, something can happen to thwart a military confrontation. But I also told him, Mr. president, if it has to happen I’m willing to be in the middle of it, because for the future of my children [it is necessary] to remove this threat,” Huckabee continued.
“At some time the United States has to say enough is enough. Either they make a radical change or they experience ‘the second kick of a mule,’” the envoy asserted. “I think the president has made it clear that a military action is not his first choice, but it is his desire to make sure they can’t wreak havoc in the world.”
