Is the US negotiating with Iran or preparing to strike?
Iran and the US begin new nuclear talks as Washington builds up forces in the region. Iran and the United States are heading into a third round of indirect nuclear negotiations in Geneva, while US military assets build up across the region. Is either side prepared to compromise, or is the confrontation at a breaking point? In this episode: Episode credits: This episode was produced by Noor Wazwaz, Melanie Marich, and Marcos Bartolomé, with Spencer Cline, Tamara Khandaker, Tuleen Barakat, Maya Hamadeh, and our host, Malika Bilal. It was edited by Alexandra Locke and Sarí el-Khalili. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube Published On 27 Feb 202627 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
‘Like it’s 2024 again’: Trump takes centre stage in 2026 midterm elections
Nationalising the race The Republican Party has suffered losses since Trump’s return to the presidency last year. In 2025’s off-year races, Democrats notched a handful of victories, from Virginia to New Jersey. Wiles, a close adviser to Trump, has blamed the Republican defeats on Trump’s absence from the ballot. “Typically, in the midterms, it’s not about who’s sitting in the White House. You localise the election, and you keep federal officials out of it,” Wiles explained to The Mom View. “We’re actually going to turn that on its head and put him on the ballot, because so many of those low-propensity voters are Trump voters.” Her strategy is designed to harness the strong sense of loyalty Trump has engendered in the Republican Party. The YouGov poll found conservative voters overwhelmingly approved of his job, at a rate of 82 percent. A mid-January CBS News survey found an even higher approval rating — 90 percent — among US adults who identify as Republicans. “Since 2016, our surveys have all been off because we underestimate the Trump vote consistently,” said political scientist Lonna Rae Atkeson. “Trump has definitely drawn more support from irregular voters, people who don’t regularly go to the polls, during presidential elections.” But she questioned whether Trump’s endorsement would translate into increased support for down-ballot races. “We haven’t seen that carry over well to the midterms,” said Atkeson. “So it may not turn out well for him.” But putting Trump “on the ballot”, as Wiles suggests, also risks shifting the focus of the midterm races away from local issues. Instead, experts like Gillespie believe that “nationalising” the midterm races could homogenise both down-ballot candidates and their policy platforms, as they seek to reflect national priorities, not local ones. “One manifestation of polarisation in American politics is that national issues increasingly supplant local ones,” Gillespie said. “As national politics seep into state and local races, it becomes harder for federal candidates to distinguish themselves from Washington.” Adblock test (Why?)
Iran says US must drop ‘excessive demands’ in nuclear negotiations
Iranian foreign minister emphasizes seriousness and realism as key to successful negotiations with the United States. Listen to this article Listen to this article | 3 mins info Published On 27 Feb 202627 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo The United States must drop its “excessive demands” in nuclear talks with Iran to achieve a successful outcome, the Iranian foreign minister has said, as the US embassy in Jerusalem granted permission to nonemergency staff members to leave Israel amid fears of a regional war. Abbas Aragchi made the remarks during a phone call with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdel Ati, according to a report on Friday by the ISNA news agency. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Iran’s top diplomat said that “success on this path requires seriousness and realism on the part of the other side and avoidance of any miscalculation and excessive demands”. He did not elaborate on what those demands are. Aragchi’s statement tempered down previous comments where he hailed “progress” at the talks and described the last round of negotiations between Iranian and US officials in Geneva as the “most intense so far”. “It concluded with the mutual understanding that we will continue to engage in a more detailed manner on matters that are essential to any deal – including sanctions termination and nuclear-related steps,” he said. Further negotiations will be conducted in parallel to meetings between technical teams in Vienna in the coming days, the Iranian diplomat added. American and Iranian officials left the Swiss city following the indirect talks mediated by Oman on Thursday to consult with their respective governments. Since resuming talks last month, the US has said it wants Iran to dismantle its nuclear infrastructure entirely, limit its arsenal of ballistic missiles and stop supporting regional allies. While Tehran has shown flexibility about discussing limitations on the enrichment of uranium for civilian use, it has so far treated missiles and proxies as non-negotiables. Advertisement US President Donald Trump has said he favours a diplomatic resolution to the standoff, but has repeatedly threatened to bomb Iran if it does not accept a deal. The US has amassed its biggest military arsenal in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, including the world’s biggest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, which arrived on Friday in the Israeli port city of Haifa, according to Israeli Channel 12. Iran has said that it was not going to initiate a war, but that it was ready to respond if attacked, threatening to strike bases used by US forces in the region. The military build-up has left the region bracing for a potential war that could spiral into a regional conflict. On Friday, China told its citizens to evacuate from Iran “as soon as possible” and the US authorised the departure of nonemergency embassy staff from Israel – the same order Washington issued for the US mission in Lebanon earlier this week. Canada, India, UK and Poland have also issued similar orders. Adblock test (Why?)
Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia get clean chit in Delhi excise policy scandal; know about the case
Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia have been cleared of all charges in the Delhi excise policy case, with the court ruling that the CBI failed to prove the charges against them.
No end of troubles for Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia as CBI mulls moving Delhi High Court in excise policy case
The move comes after the Rouse Avenue court observed that the alleged central conspiratorial role of the AAP leaders could not be substantiated.
Delhi’s power sector gets a boost as CM Rekha Gupta launches Rs 160 crore underground cabling project, says ‘preparing National Capital for next 50 years’
The project, which will cost Rs 160 crore, will cover 28 roads and streets in the Old Delhi area, including Kucha Mahajani, Bhagirath Palace, Jama Masjid Road, and Nai Sadak.
Earthquake tremors in Kolkata trigger panic, epicentre in Bangladesh
The USGS said the earthquake was located at latitude 22.451°N and longitude 89.139°E, at a depth of 9.8 kilometres. People were seen gathering in open spaces in Kolkata shortly after the tremors were felt.
Court slams CBI, calls Arvind Kejriwal’s excise case ‘economically illiterate,’ ‘erroneous,’ and ‘speculative’; details here
The court found that the prosecution case was built on “conjecture and speculative constructs” rather than legally admissible evidence.
Indian economy robust, real GDP to grow at 7.6% in 2025-26: Govt
India’s real GDP has shown a remarkable progress as it is evaluated to grow by 7.6 per cent in the current financial year 2025-26, said an evaluation by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). Overall economic performance in 2025-26 is mainly due to robust real growth.
CBI moves Delhi High Court challenging clean chit to Arvind Kejriwal, others in liquor policy case
After receiving the clean chit, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Kejriwal upped the ante against the BJP top brass, alleging a political conspiracy against him and his party. “I challenge PM Modi to hold fresh polls in Delhi, if the BJP wins over 10 seats, I will quit politics,” he said.