Iran is urgently finalizing its nuclear proposal, expected to be submitted to senior leaders no later than February 24.
This move took place right after indirect discussions with the US in Geneva (Switzerland) in the middle of the week, and appeared at the same time as President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of a huge navy force to the Middle East.
On February 20, answering press interviews at the White House, President Trump confirmed that he is considering limited airstrike options to put pressure on Tehran to concede.
Previously, on February 19, Mr. Trump issued an ultimatum requiring the opponent to reach an agreement within 10 to 15 days if they do not want to face terrible consequences.
Sources from the US revealed that the Pentagon's military plan has now entered a critical stage. Operational scenarios include airstrikes targeting high-ranking individuals, and even further, changing the leadership structure in Tehran.
Speaking on MS Now television on the same day, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi affirmed that there is no military solution that can destroy the country's nuclear program.
He recalled the 12-day war led by Israel in June 2025 as evidence that bombings could not eliminate Tehran's strategic infrastructure network.
After rounds of discussions in Geneva (Switzerland) last week with the US delegation, Mr. Araghchi said that the two sides had agreed on core guiding principles. The Iranian Foreign Minister revealed that the draft response to the proposal will be submitted to senior leaders for consideration in the next 2-3 days, paving the way for the next round of negotiations expected to take place after about 1 week.
Besides the nuclear issue, tensions are escalating around Tehran's internal situation. On February 20, Mr. Trump threatened to use force to protest Iran's crackdown on protests. He declared that the US military warning had forced Iranian authorities to cancel plans to execute 837 protesters 2 weeks ago.
Regarding casualties in the riots, the US President gave the figure of 32,000 deaths. Just a few hours later, the Iranian side immediately denied it. Secretary of State Araghchi announced the detailed list of 3,117 deaths in the incident that Tehran called terrorist activity, and challenged Washington to provide comparative evidence.
Also last week, the United Nations expressed deep concern about hostile statements and escalating troop movements.
At the negotiating table, the Iranian Foreign Minister revealed that the US did not request a complete suspension of uranium enrichment. However, a White House official immediately denied this information, reaffirming the absolute ban on Iran possessing nuclear weapons and uranium enrichment capabilities in any form.
