US-Iran Talks Resume in Geneva as Both Sides Display Military Power; Israel Issues Gaza Ultimatum

Paul Petitte : Feb 17, 2026
CBN News

"The best answer to all the problems created by Iran is regime change. The best answer is for the people to take the place of the Ayatollah." -Senator Lindsey Graham

(Jerusalem, Israel) — [CBN News] The world [was] watching Geneva today, where high-risk diplomacy between the US and Iran [was] colliding with growing threats of military action. The outcome could reshape the Middle East. (Screengrab image: via CBN News)

After weeks of a US military buildup in the region, the United States and Iran [were] set to begin talks in Geneva that could determine whether the parties move towards diplomacy or conflict.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog on Monday. The top Iranian diplomat posted on X that he brought "real ideas" for a deal, but said, "What is not on the table was submission before threats."

President Trump indicated he'll be indirectly involved in the talks and warned that Iran does not want to face the consequences of not taking a deal.

He commented, "I would say they're bad negotiators, because we could have had a deal instead of sending the B2 in to knock out their nuclear potential, and we had to send the B2s. I hope, I hope they're going to be more reasonable. They want to make a deal."

In Jerusalem, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Ambassador Mike Huckabee, suggesting that an American decision on action against Iran "is weeks, not months, away." (Screengrab image: via CBN News)

"The best answer to all the problems created by Iran is regime change," Graham declared. "The best answer is for the people to take the place of the Ayatollah."

Holding a "Make Iran Great Again" cap, Graham insisted the US must deliver on its pledge to help Iranian protesters.

"We're on the verge of eliminating the target state sponsor of terrorism in the region. With the fall of Iran comes the fall of Hezbollah and Hamas, and normalization becomes far more likely," Graham asserted.

Meanwhile, both Iran and the US are flexing their military muscle. Iran's Revolutionary Guard released video of a large naval exercise in the Strait of Hormuz, while the US responded with its own video of naval firepower, and the Air Force ordered bunker-busting bombs it used to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities during Operation Midnight Hammer last June.

In Gaza, Israel is issuing its own ultimatum, in coordination with the Trump administration. The Netanyahu government is giving Hamas 60 days to disarm, including turning over some 60 thousand AK-47s used in the October 7th, 2023, massacre.

If Hamas refuses, Israel warns, full-scale war will resume. Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here