Global & US Headlines
Trump, Netanyahu Hold 3-Hour Iran Strategy Summit; Trump Keeps Diplomatic Channel Alive
On 12 Feb 2026, after a three-hour closed-door White House session, President Donald Trump overruled Israeli pressure for immediate escalation and declared that U.S.–Iran negotiations must continue, leaving military options on standby.
Focusing Facts
- The 12 Feb meeting lasted roughly three hours and was the pair’s 7th encounter since Trump’s January 2025 return to office.
- Trump publicly wrote that “nothing definitive” was decided beyond his instruction that talks with Tehran proceed, despite a U.S. naval build-up that already includes the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group.
- Trump said he is “thinking” of sending a second carrier group, a move last used against Iran during the May 2019 tanker crisis.
Context
Just as President Eisenhower quietly checked Britain and France during the 1956 Suez Crisis while still projecting force, Trump is balancing Israeli demands with a show of U.S. might to coerce rather than immediately strike Iran. The episode fits a century-long American pattern—Gunboat diplomacy followed by last-minute bargaining (e.g., Nixon’s 1973 nuclear alert, the 2003 Iraq ultimatum). What is different in 2026 is the visibility of social-media brinkmanship and the erosion of U.S. monopoly power; carrier deployments now signal resolve but also expose logistical limits flagged by analysts. Over a 100-year horizon, whether Washington can still translate naval theatre into durable regional order—or if overstretch accelerates a multipolar Middle East—may prove more consequential than this single “nothing definitive” meeting.
Perspectives
Left-wing anti-imperialist media
e.g., World Socialist Web Site — Portrays the Trump-Netanyahu meeting as a "war council" paving the way for a reckless imperialist assault meant to impose U.S. domination and must be opposed by workers worldwide. Long-standing Trotskyist framing casts virtually all U.S. or Israeli moves as capitalist aggression, so the coverage minimizes Tehran’s own repression and overstates the imminence of nuclear war.
Pro-Israel right-leaning media
e.g., Arutz Sheva, some conservative allies — Hails Trump and Netanyahu as strong leaders determined to secure real peace and stability by standing firm against the Iranian threat, praising their "productive" White House talks. Religious-nationalist alignment with Israel leads the outlet to equate military pressure with peacemaking and ignore civilian costs or Palestinian grievances, offering uncritical praise of both leaders.
Mainstream international press
e.g., The Japan Times, Al Jazeera — Reports that the three-hour meeting produced no definitive plan while U.S.–Iran diplomacy continues amid a military buildup, noting Netanyahu’s push for tougher terms and the risk of escalation. Professional detachment relies heavily on official statements and anonymous analysts, which can underplay power imbalances and treat looming conflict as a political chess match rather than a humanitarian crisis.