On February 25, 2026, the geopolitical standoff between Washington and Tehran reached a boiling point following President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address. In a record-length speech, Trump struck a belligerent tone, accusing Iran of rebuilding nuclear sites “obliterated” by U.S. strikes in 2025 and pursuing missiles capable of striking the American mainland. Trump claimed that Iranian authorities killed 32,000 people during recent anti-government crackdowns, a figure far higher than independent estimates, and reiterated that while he prefers diplomacy, “all options,” including regime change, remain on the table.
Iran calls US claims “big lies” after Trump warns of missiles, terror sponsorship, and unrest in Tehran. https://t.co/yUJpfbIwVe pic.twitter.com/6MHWp1ygG9
— ARISE NEWS (@ARISEtv) February 25, 2026
Tehran responded fiercely on Wednesday, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei accusing Trump of spreading “big lies” to create an “illusion of truth.” Iranian officials noted that neither U.S. intelligence nor the UN’s nuclear watchdog has found evidence of a revived weapons program. Despite the rhetoric, Iran’s negotiating team, led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, has departed for Geneva for a “last-ditch” third round of indirect talks mediated by Oman.
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President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed a “positive outlook” for the talks, aiming to move beyond the “exhausting neither-war-nor-peace situation.” However, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that if Washington “bombs the negotiating table” as it did last year, it would face a “deterrent defense” that would cause immediate regret. With Trump’s 15-day deadline looming, the Geneva summit on Thursday is seen as the final opportunity to avert a full-scale regional war.
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