Iran prepares counterproposal as Trump considers limited military strikes

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Two Palestinians, a young man and a child, were injured by live rounds fired by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank town of Beit Furik, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa, which added that the young man was shot in the head and is in a critical condition.

Hezbollah is preparing for a possible war between the US and Iran, according to a report from Al Arabiya. 

Citing Lebanese sources, the report states that the group is being administered by commanders from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), and that those commanders are helping to rebuild Hezbollah's capabilities.

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry has condemned remarks made by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Tucker Carlson's show, saying it "expresses its strongest condemnation and complete rejection of the statements made by the United States Ambassador to Israel, in which he recklessly suggested that Israel's control over the entire Middle East would be acceptable."

"This extremist rhetoric portends grave consequences and threatens international peace and security by antagonising the countries and peoples of the region and undermining the foundations of the international order."

Students held protests at several Iranian universities at the start of a new semester on Saturday, some clashing with pro-government groups, according to local news agencies and posts on social media.

The protests coincided with ceremonies traditionally held after 40 days to mourn those killed by security forces during last month's anti-government demonstrations, which saw thousands lose their lives in the worst domestic unrest since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.

A video purportedly showed rows of marchers at Tehran's Sharif University of Technology condemning Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a "murderous leader", and calling for Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's toppled shah, to be a new monarch.

State-affiliated news agencies such as SNN carried videos of clashes, with protesters allegedly injuring volunteer student Basij militia by throwing rocks at Iran's top engineering university. Pro-government Basij members often assist security forces in quelling protests.

Protests were also held in Beheshti and Amir Kabir universities in the capital Tehran and Mashhad University in the northeast, according to videos published by rights group HAALVSH, which Reuters could not verify.

In the western town of Abdanan, a hotspot for protests, demonstrators chanted "Death to Khamenei" and "Death to the dictator" after the arrest of an activist teacher, according to rights group Hengaw and social media posts.

The Arab League has condemned remarks by Mike Huckabee suggesting it would be “fine” if Israel were to take control of much of the Middle East.

Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit described the comments, made during an interview with Tucker Carlson, as “highly extremist statements”. He said they were illogical and inconsistent with established diplomatic norms.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), based in Saudi Arabia, also labelled the remarks “unacceptable”.

Both organisations warned that such statements risk fuelling tensions across the region. The OIC reaffirmed its support for a two-state solution, while the Arab League reiterated backing for the Gaza peace agreement and US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” initiative.

Two Palestinians were injured on Saturday after armed Israeli settlers reportedly opened fire in the village of al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah, according to Palestinian media.

Reports said settlers entered a family’s property on the southern edge of the village and damaged belongings.

The 76th Berlin Film Festival draws to a close on Saturday after 10 days of what its director called "stormy seas" unleashed by a controversy over the war in Gaza, which often overshadowed discussion of the 22 films in competition.

The row erupted at the beginning of the festival when jury president Wim Wenders answered a question about the German government's support for Israel by saying: "We cannot really enter the field of politics."

At the same press conference he had said that films had the power to "change the world" but in a different way from politics.

But his comments in response to the question on Israel prompted a storm of outrage.

Award-winning Indian novelist Arundhati Roy, who had been due to present a restored version of a 1989 film she wrote, pulled out of the event, branding Wenders' words "unconscionable" and "jaw-dropping".

On Tuesday, an open letter signed by dozens of film industry figures, including actors Javier Bardem and Tilda Swinton and director Adam McKay, condemned the Berlin festival's "silence on the genocide of Palestinians" and accused it of being involved in "censoring" artists who oppose Israel's actions.

The Palestinian Authority has “strongly condemned” Mike Huckabee over remarks in which he said it would be “fine” if Israel were to take control of much of the Middle East.

In a statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates described the comments as “provocative and unacceptable”, saying they amount to a direct call to violate state sovereignty and offer support for occupation, “ethnic cleansing”, displacement and expansionist policies targeting the Palestinian people.

The ministry also criticised Huckabee’s claim that Israel has a “biblical right” to control the region stretching from the Nile to the Euphrates.

It urged the administration of Donald Trump to publicly reject the ambassador’s remarks, warning that they undermine efforts to achieve a lasting peace in the region.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that his country would not bow its head to pressure from world powers amid nuclear talks with the United States.

"World powers are lining up to force us to bow our heads... but we will not bow our heads despite all the problems that they are creating for us", Pezeshkian said in a speech carried live by state TV.

Jordan has strongly criticised US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee after he said it would be “fine” if Israel were to take control of much of the Middle East.

Speaking to right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson in an interview on Friday, Huckabee said: “It would be fine if they took it all.”

In response, Jordan’s Foreign Ministry said the remarks “constitute a violation of diplomatic norms, an assault on the sovereignty of the countries of the region, and a flagrant breach of international law and the Charter of the United Nations”.

The ministry added that the comments contradict the declared position of Donald Trump in rejecting the annexation of the occupied West Bank.

Jordan’s official spokesperson also rejected what he described as irresponsible statements that undermine regional stability.

President Donald Trump has pushed the United States to the brink of war with Iran even as aides urge him to focus more on voters' economic worries, highlighting the political risks of military escalation ahead of this year's midterm elections.

Trump has ordered a huge buildup of forces in the Middle East and preparations for a potential multi-week air attack on Iran.

But he has not laid out in detail to the American public why he might be leading the U.S. into its most aggressive action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution.

Trump's fixation on Iran has emerged as the starkest example yet of how foreign policy, including his expanded use of raw military force, has topped his agenda in the first 13 months of his second term, often overshadowing domestic issues like the cost of living that public opinion polls show are much higher priorities for most Americans.

Reuters news agency, citing a senior White House official, reported that despite Trump's bellicose rhetoric there was still no "unified support" within the administration to go ahead with an attack on Iran.

Trump's aides are also mindful of the need to avoid sending a "distracted message" to undecided voters more concerned about the economy, the official told Reuters on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

White House advisers and Republican campaign officials want Trump focused on the economy, a point that was stressed as the top campaign issue at a private briefing this week with numerous cabinet secretaries, according to a person who attended. Trump was not present.

A second White House official, responding to Reuters questions for this story, said Trump's foreign policy agenda "has directly translated into wins for the American people."

"All of the President's actions put America First – be it through making the entire world safer or bringing economic deliverables home to our country," the official said.

Sweden has urged its citizens in Iran to leave the country after US President Donald Trump threatened military action over the Islamic republic's nuclear programme.

Sweden's Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard noted on X her "strong appeal addressed to Swedish citizens who are in Iran to leave".

Iran said on Friday that it was hoping for a quick deal with the United States on Tehran's nuclear programme, long a source of discord between the two foes.

But Trump, after ordering a major naval build-up in the Middle East aimed at heaping pressure on Tehran, said on Friday that he was "considering" a limited military strike if the negotiations proved unfruitful.

An Israeli strike on Lebanon killed eight members of Hezbollah, an official from the group told AFP news agency on Saturday, saying the attack hit a meeting the members were holding far from Israel's border.

The Israeli military said it targeted Hezbollah in the area, hours after it had announced striking Hamas targets in southern Lebanon.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the attacks, which took place days after the government announced that the army will start implementing the second phase of its plan to disarm Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

Lebanon's health ministry said 10 people were killed in the east and two in the south, both areas where Hezbollah holds sway.

Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said that 3,117 people were killed during anti-government protests in Iran, including around 200 police officers.

In a post on the social media platform X, he stated that the names of those killed had been published in what he described as a “publicly transparent” list.

Fulfilling our pledge of full transparency towards our own people, Iran's Government has already published a comprehensive list of all 3117 victims of recent terrorist operation, including about 200 officers.
If anyone disputes accuracy of our data, please share any evidence.

— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) February 21, 2026

Amnesty International has said that at least 30 people in Iran are facing the death penalty in connection with recent anti-government protests.

The organisation reported on Friday that eight death sentences have already been issued. Of the remaining 22 cases currently before the courts, two involve minors.

Amnesty accused the Iranian authorities of using capital punishment to silence opposition. Diana Eltahawy, the group’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East, said: “The Iranian authorities are once again laying bare the depth of their disregard for the right to life and justice by threatening expedited executions and imposing death sentences in fast-tracked trials, only weeks after arrest.”

She added: “In weaponizing the death penalty, they are seeking to instill fear and crush the spirit of a population demanding fundamental change.”

According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), more than 7,000 people have been killed, including over 200 members of the state security forces. Around 53,500 people have also been arrested.

IFA and the Board of Peace signed a partnership agreement on Thursday to attract investment from global leaders and institutions for sustainable development in conflict-affected regions through football.

The Board of Peace, established under the U.S. President Donald Trump, held its first meeting focused on Gaza's reconstruction fund, aimed at rebuilding the territory once Hamas disarms.

The FIFA collaboration plan includes building 50 mini-pitches near schools and residential areas in Gaza, five full-size pitches across multiple districts, a state-of-the-art FIFA academy and a new 20,000-seat national stadium, FIFA said.

Trump said FIFA will raise $75 million for soccer-related projects in Gaza.

"Today, FIFA and the Board of Peace have signed a landmark partnership agreement that will foster investment into football for the purpose of helping the recovery process in post conflict areas," FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement.

"Together with the support of the Board of Peace, FIFA will drive this partnership which is built to deliver impact at every stage."

The programme will also emphasize job creation, youth participation, organised leagues for boys and girls, community engagement and the stimulation of local commercial activities, FIFA said.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza said that one person was killed and 10 others were injured over the past 48 hours, after being transferred to hospitals across the Strip.

The ministry added that the total number of those killed since the ceasefire came into effect has reached 612, with 1,640 injured. It also reported that 726 bodies have been recovered during the same period.

According to the ministry, the cumulative toll since the start of the Israeli offensive on 7 October 2023 has risen to 72,070 killed and 171,738 injured.

At least 10 people were killed and 24 wounded — including three children — in Israeli strikes in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley Friday, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported.

Another two people were killed by an Israeli strike on a Palestinian refugee camp earlier in the day.

Local television footage from the scene of one of the strikes in the Bekaa showed the targeted site appeared to be an apartment building, and emergency crews were fighting a fire and searching in the rubble for survivors.

Earlier Friday, another Israeli strike had hit a Palestinian refugee camp in the port city of Sidon, killing two people.

US outlet Axios reported that Donald Trump is willing to discuss a proposal allowing Iran to carry out symbolic uranium enrichment, provided there is no pathway to developing a nuclear weapon and Tehran can prove the programme is “harmless”.

According to the report, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner asked Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi after the Geneva talks to submit a comprehensive written plan addressing Washington’s concerns over Iran’s nuclear activities.

A senior US official told Axios that while Trump’s stated position remains “no enrichment” on Iranian soil, the administration would review a proposal that included “limited symbolic enrichment” if Iran supplied detailed guarantees that it posed no threat.

The official stressed that any submission must be “very detailed” and demonstrate that the nuclear programme is “harmless”, adding: “We will see what they present to us in writing. Based on that, we will see how serious they are. The decision is now in their hands.”

US officials reportedly described the threshold for accepting an Iranian proposal as extremely high, noting it would need to convince sceptics within the administration and across the region.

The official added that Trump “would be prepared to accept an agreement that is politically marketable domestically,” warning: “If the Iranians want to prevent an attack, they have to make an offer we can’t refuse.”

U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran that the Iranian government "better negotiate a fair deal" as he considers military force.

Serbia has urged its citizens in Iran to leave the country "as soon as possible", after US President Donald Trump threatened military action over the Islamic republic's nuclear programme.

The Balkan nation had already invited Serbian nationals in mid-January to leave Iran and not to travel there, as the country's clerical authorities launched a bloody crackdown on a mass protest movement.

"Due to the deteriorating security situation, citizens of the Republic of Serbia are not recommended to travel to Iran in the coming period," the foreign ministry said in a statement on its website published overnight Friday to Saturday.

"All those who are in Iran are recommended to leave the country as soon as possible."

Iran said on Friday that it was hoping for a quick deal with the United States on Tehran's nuclear programme, long a source of discord between the two foes.

But Trump, after ordering a major naval build-up in the Middle East aimed at heaping pressure on Tehran, said on Friday that he was "considering" a limited military strike if the negotiations proved unfruitful.