Published on: 02/16/2026 - 07:19 Last updated: 02/17/2026 - 02:09

Iran considered on Monday that the American position on its nuclear file had become “more realistic,” on the eve of the two parties holding a second round of talks in Geneva that began this month in the wake of Washington’s threat to Tehran with military intervention. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left on Sunday for Switzerland to hold the second round of discussions with the United States, according to what the Iranian Foreign Ministry reported. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump's chief envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will represent Washington in Geneva this week, to hold talks with Iranian negotiators regarding the Islamic Republic's nuclear file, according to what the White House confirmed on Sunday.

Iran sees a “more realistic” American position on the nuclear issue on the eve of the Geneva talks

Iran considered on Monday that the American position on its nuclear file had become “more realistic,” on the eve of the two parties holding a second round of talks in Geneva that began this month in the wake of Washington’s threat to Tehran with military intervention.

US Secretary of State: It will be difficult to conclude an agreement with Iran

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a visit to the Hungarian capital, Budapest, today, Monday, that concluding an agreement with Iran will be difficult.

Tehran declares its readiness to make concessions in order to make negotiations with Washington successful and reach an agreement

Iranian director depicts the horrors of Evin Prison in her new film “Revelation”

​Mehnaz Mohammadi, an Iranian documentary filmmaker and women's rights activist, said she had to resort to imagination to be able to confront and share her experiences with torture in Tehran's Evin Prison.

Her film “Roya,” which will be shown for the first time at the Berlin Film Festival on Wednesday, tells a fictional story about a teacher detained in Evin Prison, but the film touches on a very personal experience for Mohammadi, who was arrested several times in Iran on charges of endangering national security and spreading lies.

She said during an interview with Reuters, "If I wanted to make a film about my personal story, it would not be possible to show it. I withheld a lot (for the film) so that it would be somewhat bearable to watch it."

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard begins military maneuvers in the Strait of Hormuz (state TV)

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard began military maneuvers on Monday in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, according to what state television reported, on the eve of the start of a new round of talks between Iran and the United States in Geneva.

Iranian television reported that these maneuvers, the duration of which was not specified, aim to prepare the Guards for “possible security and military threats” in the Strait of Hormuz, after Washington deployed a large naval force in the Gulf.

Tehran has previously repeatedly threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which about twenty percent of global oil production passes.

US Secretary of State from Budapest: It will be difficult to conclude an agreement with Iran

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a visit to the Hungarian capital, Budapest, today, Monday, that concluding an agreement with Iran will be difficult.

Agency: Iran is conducting a military maneuver in the Strait of Hormuz

The Iranian Tasnim News Agency reported that the Revolutionary Guards Navy began implementing a maneuver under the title “Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz” on Monday, a day before the start of new Iranian-American negotiations.

The agency added that the exercise aims primarily to “assess the readiness of the Revolutionary Guard naval units, and review insurance plans and possible scenarios for mutual military response in the face of security and military threats in the Strait region.”

Agency: Training of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy in the Strait of Hormuz aims to test the readiness of the forces in the face of “potential security and military threats”

Agency: The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy begins training for “smart control of the Strait of Hormuz”

More than two hundred thousand people participate in a demonstration opposing the Iranian authorities in Munich

The Iranian Foreign Minister will meet with the Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency today

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that he will meet with the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, on Monday, that is, one day before the start of the second round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran in Geneva.

Araqchi said on the X platform, “I am in Geneva with real ideas to achieve a fair and equitable agreement. What is not on the table is submitting to threats.”

Iran and the United States resumed negotiations earlier this month to resolve the decades-long dispute over Tehran's nuclear program and avoid a new military confrontation with the deployment of US warships in the region, including a second aircraft carrier.

The Iranian Foreign Minister is in Geneva to negotiate with Washington

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi arrived in Geneva to participate in the second round of discussions with the United States on Tehran's nuclear program, Iranian state television announced Monday.

This second round of “indirect” talks begins on Tuesday with Omani mediation, according to Tehran, after a first round held in early February in the Sultanate of Oman in light of an American threat to intervene militarily.

Araqchi announced in a post on X, “I am in Geneva with real ideas to reach a just and equitable agreement,” adding, “What is not on the table is yielding to the threat.”

Iranian television announced via Telegram on Monday that “the Foreign Minister arrived in Geneva at the head of a diplomatic and technical delegation to hold the second round of nuclear talks.”

Oil stabilizes as traders await nuclear talks between America and Iran

There was little change in oil prices today, Monday, as investors evaluated the market implications of the expected talks between the United States and Iran aimed at easing tensions against the backdrop of an expected increase in OPEC+ supplies.

Brent crude futures rose three cents to $67.78 a barrel by 0358.

US West Texas Intermediate crude oil increased by two cents to a barrel. There will be no settlement for West Texas Intermediate crude on Monday due to a holiday.

New slogans against the religious leadership in Tehran, in the wake of massive demonstrations abroad

On Sunday, some Tehran residents chanted slogans against the religious leadership from their balconies and windows, according to reports received the day after Iranians in Europe and North America organized mass demonstrations opposing the regime.

The Islamic Republic, led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, witnessed major protest movements that peaked in January before they were violently suppressed by security forces in a campaign that left thousands dead, according to human rights organizations.

While the street protests subsided due to the repression, residents of Tehran and other cities last week began chanting slogans against the religious leadership from inside their homes and apartments.

Witkoff and Kushner will represent Washington in the talks with Iran in Geneva

US President Donald Trump's chief envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will head to Geneva this week to hold talks with Iranian negotiators on the Islamic Republic's nuclear file, the White House confirmed on Sunday.

A US official, who requested anonymity, confirmed to AFP that Witkoff and Kushner would represent Washington in the talks.

Earlier, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will represent Tehran in the negotiations, and will also meet his Swiss and Omani counterparts and the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Tehran and Washington resumed their negotiations in Muscat on February 6, months after the collapse of the previous talks following Israel’s launch of a war on Iran last June, which lasted 12 days.

Reza Pahlavi calls on Trump for “urgent” intervention in Iran

The son of the ousted Iranian Shah, Reza Pahlavi, once again called on US President Donald Trump for “urgent” military intervention in Iran, and repeated his proposal to lead a “transitional phase” in the country, in a statement to the American Fox News channel on Sunday.

“I hope that President (Trump) realizes how urgent intervention can save lives and help us put an end to this unwanted regime,” said Pahlavi, an opposition member in exile in the United States who in recent days has repeatedly called for mobilization against the Islamic Republic.

He continued, "The first demand of the Iranians, in the country and abroad, is assistance," explaining that "intervention is a humanitarian intervention aimed at saving lives that will continue to be lost unless that happens."

Tehran's latest proposals before talks with Washington

Netanyahu: Enriched uranium “must be transported out of Iran”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Sunday that any agreement between the United States and Iran must include the transfer of all enriched uranium from Iran, in addition to dismantling Iran’s capabilities to enrich more of this material.

Netanyahu said in a speech in Jerusalem that any agreement must include several elements, noting that “the first element is that all of the enriched uranium must be transferred out of Iran,” adding that “the second element is that there must not be any capacity for enrichment... The equipment and infrastructure that allows (uranium) enrichment in the first place must be dismantled.”

He added that the third element is resolving the issue of ballistic missiles.

France 24/ Agencies

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