File photograph of Iran Overseas Minister Abbas Araghchi.
| Photograph Credit score: AP
Iran’s Overseas Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Geneva for a second spherical of nuclear talks with the U.S. and technical discussions with the Worldwide Atomic Vitality Company (IAEA) amid heightened tensions within the Persian Gulf, as Washington has despatched a second plane provider to the area, threatening to make use of power in opposition to the Islamic Republic if diplomacy fails.
Whereas the U.S. and Iran are anticipated to carry talks, mediated by Oman, within the Swiss metropolis on Tuesday (February 17, 2026), the naval forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have began army drills close to the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint that connects the Persian Gulf with the Arabian Sea by means of the Gulf of Oman.
“I’m in Geneva with actual concepts to realize a good and equitable deal. What isn’t on the desk: submission earlier than threats,” Mr. Araghchi wrote in a social media submit. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi later stated he had “in-depth technical discussions” with Mr. Aragchi forward of Tuesday’s “necessary negotiations”.
Iran suspended entry for the IAEA to its key nuclear amenities after Israel and the U.S. bombed them in June 2025.
Mr. Araghchi had met Steve Witkoff, U.S. President Donald Trump’s West Asia envoy, and different officers for nuclear talks on February 6 in Muscat, Oman’s capital, and agreed to proceed discussions. Final week, Iran’s Deputy Overseas Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi stated in an interview that Iran was keen to make compromise for a nuclear deal if the U.S. is “honest”.
In the meantime, the IRGC on Monday began “live-fire intensive drills” named ‘Sensible Management of Hormuz Strait’ beneath the supervision of chief commander Main Common Mohammed Pakpour. The drills intention to check the readiness of the IRGC Navy’s operational items and assessment help programmes and situations within the face of “doable safety and army threats” within the strategic Strait of Hormuz, reported state-run Press TV. “A speedy, decisive, and complete response by the IRGC’s operational forces within the face of anti-security plots within the maritime enviornment is on the core of the operational workouts of the items collaborating within the drill,” it stated.
That is the second army train the IRGC Navy is conducting since tensions began rising between Iran and the U.S. final month. Early this month, the U.S. shot down an Iranian drone that the U.S. Navy stated was approaching USS Abraham Lincoln, an plane provider, within the Arabia Sea. The U.S. has deployed F35 fighter jets, warships, destroyers and gas tankers, apart from the Lincoln, to the area. Mr. Trump has additionally stated a second plane provider would attain West Asia’s waters “quickly”.
On Sunday, Chief of Employees of Iran’s Armed Forces Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi stated any U.S. army actions can be met with retaliatory assaults. “Trump ought to know that he can be getting into a confrontation that offers harsh classes, the end result of which might be sure that he not makes threats world wide,” Gen. Mousavi stated.
Printed – February 16, 2026 10:05 pm IST