Facing US warnings, Iran defends right to nuclear enrichment

by AFP Staff Writers
Paris, France (AFP) Feb 19, 2026

Iran's atomic energy chief on Thursday said "no country can deprive Iran of the right" to nuclear enrichment, following fresh US warning that there were "many reasons" to strike the Islamic republic.

The two foes recently resumed indirect talks, after US President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened military action against Iran, at first over a deadly crackdown on protesters last month then more recently over its nuclear programme.

"Iran's nuclear programme is proceeding according to the rules of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and no country can deprive Iran of the right to peacefully benefit from this technology," said Iran's atomic energy chief Mohammad Eslami, in a video published in Iranian media.

It came after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt warned on Wednesday there were "many reasons and arguments that one could make for a strike against Iran".

"Iran would be very wise to make a deal with President Trump."

A previous attempt at negotiations collapsed when Israel launched surprise strikes on Iran last June, beginning a 12-day war that Washington briefly joined to bomb Iranian nuclear sites.

On Wednesday, Trump again suggested the United States might strike Iran in a post on his Truth Social site, with a US military buildup underway in the Middle East.

He warned Britain against giving up sovereignty over the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean, saying the archipelago's Diego Garcia airbase might be needed were Iran not to agree a deal, "in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous regime."

- 'Do not want war' -

CNN and CBS reported Wednesday that the US military would be ready to launch strikes against Iran as early as this weekend, though Trump has reportedly not made a final decision yet.

The Wall Street Journal meanwhile reported that Trump has been briefed on his military options with "all of them designed to maximize damage", including a campaign to "kill scores of Iranian political and military leaders, with the goal of overthrowing the government", unnamed US officials told the newspaper.

Iran and the US held a second round of Oman-mediated negotiations on Tuesday in Geneva.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said at the time that Tehran had agreed with Washington on "guiding principles", but US Vice President JD Vance said Iran had not yet acknowledged all of Washington's red lines.

Speaking on Wednesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian insisted "We do not want war" but suggested Tehran could not give in to US demands.

"From the day I took office, I have believed that war must be set aside. But if they are going to try to impose their will on us, humiliate us and demand that we bow our heads at any cost, should we accept that?"

Meanwhile, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright warned that Washington would deter Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons "one way or the other".

Amid the escalating warnings, Poland on Thursday ordered all its citizens in Iran to "leave immediately".

- Displays of military might -

The Omani-mediated talks were aimed at averting the possibility of US military action, while Tehran is demanding the lifting of US sanctions that are crippling its economy.

Iran has insisted that the discussions be limited to the nuclear issue, though Washington has previously pushed for Tehran's ballistic missiles programme and support for armed groups in the region to be on the table.

The US has meanwhile been building up its military forces near Iran, including warships, fighter jets, and refuelling aircraft, laying the foundation for a potentially sustained campaign against Iran -- should Trump give the order.

Washington has ordered a second aircraft carrier to the region, with the first, the USS Abraham Lincoln and its nearly 80 aircraft, positioned about 700 kilometres (435 miles) from the Iranian coast as of Sunday, satellite images showed.

Iran has sought to display its own military might, with its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps holding war games earlier this week in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian politicians have repeatedly threatened to block the strait, a major global conduit for oil and gas.

Separately, the Iranian and Russian navies were conducting joint drills in the Sea of Oman and the northern Indian Ocean on Thursday.