Second round of Iran-US talks end as threat of war looms

A Palestinian child died after stepping on a mine near an Israeli military camp in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, the Palestinian Red Crescent said, with an Israeli defence ministry source confirming the death.

"Our crews received the body of a 13-year-old child who was killed after a mine exploded in one of the old camps in Jiftlik in the northern Jordan Valley," the Red Crescent said in a statement.

A source at COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry's agency in charge of civilian matters in Palestinian territories, confirmed the death to AFP and identified the boy as Mohammed Abu Dalah, from the village of Jiftlik.

Iran said it would make detailed proposals in the next two weeks to close gaps in nuclear talks with the United States, according to a US official on Tuesday.

“Progress was made, but there are still a lot of details to discuss," said the official, who declined to be identified, detailing discussions in Geneva.

"The Iranians said they would come back in the next two weeks with detailed proposals to address some of the open gaps in our positions.”

The US and Iran made "good progress" during a fresh round of talks in Geneva on Tuesday, the foreign ministry of mediator Oman said on social media.

"Today's indirect negotiations between The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America in Geneva concluded with good progress towards identifying common goals and relevant technical issues," Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi wrote on X.

Today’s indirect negotiations between The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America in Geneva concluded with good progress towards identifying common goals and relevant technical issues. The spirit of our meetings was constructive. Together we made serious…

— Badr Albusaidi - بدر البوسعيدي (@badralbusaidi) February 17, 2026

Iranian authorities on Tuesday held a commemoration ceremony in Tehran for thousands of people killed during the recent unrest that followed nationwide protests over the rising cost of living.

The memorial, held at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla mosque, marked the 40th day since the deaths, in line with Shiite mourning tradition.

Crowds carried Iranian flags and portraits of those killed as nationalist songs played and chants of "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" echoed through the venue.

Iran's top diplomat voiced hope Tuesday "a new window of opportunity" seen in fresh nuclear talks with Washington would lead to a lasting solution to the two countries' standoff.

Hailing Oman for hosting the latest round of talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva that "a new window of opportunity has opened, under which we had the second round of the negotiations with the United States earlier today here in Geneva".

"We are hopeful that negotiation will lead to a sustainable and negotiated solution which can serve the interest of relevant parties and the broader region," he said, stressing though that "Iran remains fully prepared to defend itself against any threat or act of aggression".

Hamas said on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump's newly formed "Board of Peace" should pressure Israel to halt ongoing violations of the Gaza ceasefire.

"We urge the board's members to take serious action to compel the Israeli occupation to stop its violations in Gaza, as the war of genocide against the Strip is still ongoing," Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told AFP ahead of the body's inaugural meeting this week in Washington.

Abbas Araghchi said the latest talks with the United States saw them agree on "a set of guiding principles" that would pave the way for a deal.

"Ultimately, we were able to reach broad agreement on a set of guiding principles, based on which we will move forward and begin working on the text of a potential agreement," Araghchi told state TV after the talks in Geneva, which he described as "more constructive" than the previous round earlier this month.

Iran said on Tuesday that no date had been set for a third round of talks with the United States, as both sides will develop draft texts for a potential deal before fixing a time.

"No specific time has been set" for the third round, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state TV. "It was agreed that both sides would work further on draft texts for a potential agreement, after which the drafts would be exchanged and a date for a third round would be set."

The crescent moon has been sighted in Saudi Arabia, meaning that this year's Ramadan will commence Tuesday night.

Muslims around the world will be fasting in observance of the holy Islamic month.

BREAKING NEWS | The crescent moon has been sighted in Saudi Arabia.
Therefore, Ramadhān 1447 will begin tonight.

May Allāh ﷻ accept our siyām, qiyām & acts of worship, and may He grant us the ability to utilise the precious moments of this Blessed month to engage in that which… pic.twitter.com/NT5aWd5TiW

— 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 (@HaramainInfo) February 17, 2026

The United States should immediately desist from threatening the use of force against Iran, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Tuesday.

Araqchi was speaking at a disarmament conference in Geneva after talks were held between US and Iranian representatives in the western Swiss city earlier in the day.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that indirect negotiations with the United States have now entered the stage of preparing and drafting a potential agreement, following the conclusion of the second round of talks in Geneva.

Speaking to Iranian state television after the meeting, Araghchi said the talks with the US delegation were held at the Omani embassy in Geneva, with consultations having started a day earlier.

He described this round as more serious than the previous one and said the atmosphere was more constructive.

"Various ideas were raised and examined seriously," Araghchi said, adding that the two sides reached general agreement on a set of guiding principles that will shape the next phase of discussions.

According to him, negotiations will now move toward drafting a possible agreement text based on those principles.

However, he cautioned that this does not mean a deal is imminent.

"This does not mean we will reach an agreement quickly," he said, while expressing hope that the process could be completed as soon as possible. He added that Iran is ready to devote sufficient time to the negotiations, noting that work becomes "more complex and precise" once drafting begins.

Araghchi also confirmed that International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi was present in Geneva. He said technical discussions were held with Grossi and that the IAEA chief also met with the US delegation.

The Iranian minister said there had been "good progress" compared to the previous round and that there is now a clearer and more positive path forward.

As for next steps, he said a date has not yet been set for a third round of talks. Both sides have agreed to begin preparing draft texts and exchange them before scheduling the next meeting.

Araghchi acknowledged that gaps remain between the two sides’ positions and said bridging them will require time. But he argued that having agreed guiding principles and a clearer negotiating framework should help facilitate movement in the coming stage.

The US and Iranian delegations taking part in talks between the two countries in Geneva on Tuesday have left the venue at the Omani ambassador's residence, an AFP journalist reported.

A US convoy of about 10 cars departed the residence at around 12:45GMT, according to an AFP journalist at the scene, with the Iranian convoy leaving shortly after. The second round of talks began Tuesday morning following a first round on February 6 in Oman.

Talks between Iran and the United States in Geneva on Tuesday have finished, Iranian media reported.

"The second round of indirect negotiations between Iran and the US held in Geneva ended," the ISNA news agency said.

Other media carried similar reports.

Iran will close parts of the strategic Strait of Hormuz for "safety" measures during military drills by its Revolutionary Guards, state TV reported on Tuesday.

"Parts of the Strait of Hormuz will be closed in order to respect the principles of safety and navigation," said a state TV journalist, reporting from a site near the drills, which began on Monday.

He said the partial closure would last for "a few hours".

On Monday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps began a series of military exercises to prepare against "potential security and military threats" in the strait.

Iran on Tuesday said the lifting of US sanctions was an integral part of any nuclear deal with the United States, as talks between the two countries began in Geneva.

"Sanctions lifting is part and parcel of any deal on the nuclear issue," said foreign ministry spokesman Emsaeil Baqaei in a video broadcast by the English-language state-run Press TV.

Earlier, Fars news agency quoted Baqaei as saying that removing sanctions was an "inseparable" part of any nuclear deal.

Parts of the Strait of Hormuz will close for a few hours on Tuesday due to 'security precautions' for shipping safety, semi-official Fars news agency reported, as the Revolutionary Guards conduct military drills in the waterway.

The Strait is the world's most vital oil export route, which connects the biggest Gulf oil producers, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. 

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Tuesday that the US warship deployed in the Gulf could be sunk, as nuclear talks between the two countries started.

"We constantly hear that they (the United States) have sent a warship toward Iran. A warship is certainly a dangerous weapon, but even more dangerous is the weapon capable of sinking it," said Khamenei in a speech.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump would not succeed in deposing the Islamic Republic, state media reported, days after Trump said regime change "would be the best thing that could happen". 

A second round of talks between Iran and the United States began in Geneva on Tuesday, Iranian state TV reported.

"The indirect talks between Iran and the United States began today with the two sides exchanging messages" through Omani mediators, it said.

US seriousness on lifting sanctions on Iran and avoiding unrealistic demands are key to ensuring effective nuclear talks in Geneva, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday.

The official, who declined to be named, said Tehran was coming to the negotiating table with "genuine and constructive proposals".

The Australian government will not repatriate from Syria a group of 34 women and children with alleged ties to the Islamic State group, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday.

The women and children from 11 families were supposed to fly from the Syrian capital Damascus to Australia, but Syrian authorities on Monday turned them back to the Roj camp in northeast Syria because of procedural problems, officials said.

Only two groups of Australians have been repatriated with government help from Syrian camps since the fall of the Islamic State group in 2019. Other Australians have also returned without government assistance.

Albanese would not comment on a report that the latest women and children had Australian passports.

"We're providing absolutely no support and we are not repatriating people," Albanese told Australian Broadcasting Corp. in Melbourne.

"We have no sympathy, frankly, for people who travelled overseas in order to participate in what was an attempt to establish a caliphate to undermine, destroy, our way of life. And so, as my mother would say, 'You make your bed, you lie in it,'" Albanese added.

Eight countries, including Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, strongly condemned Israel's decision to designate some state lands in the occupied West Bank, according to a joint statement published on Tuesday by the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

Israel's cabinet approved further measures to tighten Israel's control over the West Bank and make it easier for settlers to buy land, a move Palestinians called a "de facto annexation".

Eight countries said such policies constitute a "dangerous escalation that will further heighten tensions and instability" in the territory and wider region. Eight countries said such policies constitute a "dangerous escalation that will further heighten tensions and instability" in the territory and wider region.

States' foreign ministers "call upon the international community to assume its responsibilities and take clear and decisive steps to halt these violations," the statement says.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi revealed he met the head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency on Monday in Geneva.

"I am in Geneva with real ideas to achieve a fair and equitable deal," Araghchi wrote on X. "What is not on the table: submission before threats."