The signs this morning, after U.S. and Iranian negotiators met directly and directly for six hours yesterday, are all of impending war. The Iranian side reportedly refused to capitulate to U.S. President Donald Trump’s demands, including an end to all uranium enrichment; and Trump said that he’s “not happy” with the way Iran is acting in nuclear negotiations, but claims he hasn’t made a decision yet on whether to authorize a strike. The signs of looming war include:
• Centcom commander Adm. Brad Cooper reportedly briefed Trump on Feb. 26 on potential military options in Iran, with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Daniel Caine and War Secretary Pete Hegseth also present.
• The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier was set to arrive off Israel’s northern coast today, after having departed Souda Bay on Feb. 26.
• Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi is scheduled to meet U.S. Vice President JD Vance and other officials in Washington on Feb. 27 for talks in an effort to stave off war with Iran.
• U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has advised U.S. embassy staff that they can leave Israel, but if they want to, they must do so immediately. Those wishing to leave “should do so TODAY,” Huckabee wrote in an email, sent at 10:24 a.m. local time, reported the New York Times. He urged them to find a flight out of Ben-Gurion Airport to any destination for which they could book passage.
