U.S. President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union handle on Feb. 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C.
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The U.S. and Iran are poised to carry additional nuclear talks within the Swiss metropolis of Geneva on Thursday, amid persistent fears concerning the prospect of navy motion within the oil-rich Center East.
The upcoming spherical of negotiations over the way forward for Tehran’s nuclear program come because the U.S. continues to construct up navy forces within the area and as President Donald Trump warns of “unhealthy issues” if Iran does not comply with a nuclear deal.
The U.S. president on Tuesday spoke briefly about Iran throughout his almost two-hour State of the Union handle however primarily centered on home coverage and different political points.
“We’re in negotiations with them. They need to make a deal, however we’ve not heard these secret phrases: ‘We’ll by no means have a nuclear weapon,'” Trump stated.
“My choice is to resolve this downside via diplomacy. However one factor is definite, I’ll by no means enable the world’s primary sponsor of terror, which they’re by far, to have a nuclear weapon.”
For some, the feedback boosted expectations of an imminent diplomatic breakthrough.
Trump “principally desires the optics of a win, which is why he talks about why he is ended eight wars. I believe it is fairly clear he hasn’t. He has helped navigate, you realize, skirmishes … however he hasn’t ended these conflicts,” stated George Pollack, U.S. coverage analyst at Signum International Advisors.
“For him, I believe it’s extra about how he is exerting U.S. energy, U.S. pressure and attempting to make the world extra peaceable however that is extra optics than it’s a substantive coverage,” Pollack advised CNBC’s “Europe Early Version” on Wednesday.
“And that is why, for us, we do suppose this Thursday assembly will probably be successful and convey about some extra diplomatic alternatives,” he added.
The usGerald R. Ford plane service docks at Souda Bay on Crete Island, Greece on February 24, 2026.
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For others, nonetheless, the absence of a deal means the chance of navy motion seems to be each excessive and rising.
“President Trump’s 10-to-15-day deadline for Iran works out to a date someday in very early March,” strategists at Dutch financial institution ING stated in a observe printed Wednesday.
“This uncertainty means the market will proceed to cost in a big threat premium and stay delicate to any contemporary developments,” they added.
Iran FM: An settlement is ‘inside attain’
Iran, for its half, has talked up the prospect of a deal this week, saying an settlement is “inside attain.”
Iranian International Minister Abbas Araghchi stated on social media Tuesday that the nation would resume talks with the U.S. in Geneva this week “with a dedication to realize a good and equitable deal — within the shortest doable time.”
Araghchi added: “Our elementary convictions are crystal clear: Iran will by no means ever develop a nuclear weapon; neither will we Iranians ever forgo our proper to harness the dividends of peaceable nuclear know-how for our folks.”
Automobiles transfer alongside a freeway close to Tehran’s landmark Azadi (Freedom) Tower in Tehran on February 23, 2026. The 45-metre-tall marble-clad Azadi Tower, previously generally known as Shahyad Tower (Shah’s Memorial Tower’), was commissioned by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the final Shah of Iran, to mark the two,500-year celebration of the Persian Empire, and accomplished in 1971. It was erected on the westernmost entrance to town of Tehran.
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Oil costs traded close to seven-month highs on Wednesday morning as vitality market individuals continued to intently monitor potential provide disruptions.
Worldwide benchmark Brent crude futures with April supply rose 0.6% to $71.13 a barrel, whereas U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures with April supply, traded 0.6% greater at $66.02.
Iran, a member of OPEC, is a main participant within the world oil market, producing greater than 3 million barrels of crude a day.
The Islamic Republic has lately performed navy drills within the strategically necessary Strait of Hormuz, in addition to joint naval drills with Russia within the Gulf of Oman, often known as the Sea of Oman.
