On Thursday, President Trump oversaw the inaugural meeting in Washington, DC, of the Board of Peace for Gaza. In televised remarks, he called tense negotiations with Iran “good talks,” but then hinted at regime change.
“Now we may have to take it a step further, or we may not,” Trump added. Then he set a timeline: “You’re going to be finding out over the next, probably, 10 days.”
“Now is the time for Iran to join us on a path that will complete what we’re doing,” Mr. Trump said Thursday at a gathering of his Board of Peace in Washington.
A source for The Telegraph said there is a 90% chance that the US will strike Iran.
🚨Alert: N12 reports that U.S. military buildup in the Middle East is at “peak” levels!
United States War Department has deployed a massive armada to destroy Iran:
🔺2 aircraft carriers (incl. USS Gerald R. Ford)
🔺20 warships and submarines
🔺200+ attack aircraft
🔺100… pic.twitter.com/yLQsafdTe9— Rod D. Martin (@RodDMartin) February 19, 2026
The United Kingdom has blocked the United States from using RAF bases to launch a strike on Iran, prompting anger from President Donald Trump.
The disagreement over the use of British military sites is behind Trump’s withdrawal of his support for Sir Keir Starmer’s deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, a report has claimed, the Daily Mail reported.
US Hardware in the Middle East
‘After the deployment of around 50 extra fighting jets, air-to-air refueling tankers, and other aircraft towards the Middle East, the military assets will reach the necessary level for airstrikes to begin by the weekend.
The U.S. Navy’s 1,000-foot-long aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford will arrive soon in the Mediterranean.
The Ford is the second U.S. aircraft carrier ordered by President Trump to head for the waters around Iran as part of a massive military buildup as he pushes the Islamic Republic to make a deal on its nuclear program.
The plan is allegedly to strike the top military and administrative ranks to cause enough chaos to allow the people to rise up. How are they going to rise up without any weapons?
This is up Bolton’s warmongering alley:
🇺🇸🇮🇷 John Bolton: The IRGC controls 40% of Iran’s economy and all the nukes.
“Destroy the Guard and everything changes.”
The planes in the air this morning suggest someone is listening.pic.twitter.com/N4IWhpNnm5 https://t.co/gbrh2jV2Ri
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) February 18, 2026
CBS News confirmed that it identified more than 50 U.S. Air Force and Navy aircraft flying east from military airfields on both U.S. coasts to the United Kingdom, continental Europe, and on to the Middle East, where some then disappeared from radar around the Jordan-Saudi Arabia border.
The aircraft seen in transit were mostly refueling, transport, and surveillance planes. In addition to the public tracking information, photographs have shown U.S. Air Force F-15, F-22, and F-35 fighter jets landing at U.K. bases and taking off again this week.
The images, captured by civilian plane spotters who post them on social media, indicate that, in addition to the logistics aircraft identified by tracking data, American strike power has also been moving into the region.
Iran doesn’t have an air force to speak of. They have fifty-year-old planes.
A potential military operation in Iran could last weeks and turn into a wider regional war aimed at toppling the Ayatollah’s regime. Sources claim Israel would support the US in a joint military effort.
The Polish Prime Minister and NATO ally Donald Tusk said on Thursday that all citizens should evacuate Iran because it may no longer be possible in a matter of hours, reports Daily Mail.
Interviews with Iranians here and here.
They appear to have started building a new nuclear site.
🚨🇮🇷 SATELLITE IMAGES SHOW IRAN BURYING NUCLEAR SITES AND FORTIFYING TUNNELS AS TALKS STALL
Iran covered a new facility at Parchin in concrete and soil, making it nearly invisible from above.
All three tunnel entrances at the Isfahan nuclear complex have been backfilled.… https://t.co/onKPrIgHfx pic.twitter.com/EDIVbVoYYa
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) February 19, 2026
Although I object to war in general, sometimes circumstances dictate that a nation act to destroy evil that is so great that it threatens all of mankind. Iran is such an evil, as it proved by murdering tens-of-thousands of its own citizens for protesting their own wicked government. One of the major reasons I feel we must take out the… Read more »