Iran and the US lean into gunboat diplomacy as nuclear talks hang in balance
Associated Press
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This image provided Thursday Feb. 19, 2026 by the Iranian military and dated Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2025, shows navy ships conducting operations during a join drill by Iranian and Russian forces in the Indian Ocean.(Masoud Nazari Mehrabi/Iranian Army via AP)In this image provided by Sepahnews of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard on Feb. 16, 2026, shows troops standing at attention during the guard's drill in the Persian Gulf on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (Sepahnews via AP)FILE - In this photo provided by the U.S. Navy, the USS Gerald R. Ford embarked on the first of its sea trials to test various state-of-the-art systems on its own power for the first time, April 8, 2017, from Newport News, Va. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ridge Leoni/U.S. Navy via AP, File)People pray at the graves of Iranian soldiers who were killed during 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war, in downtown Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
This image provided Thursday Feb. 19, 2026 by the Iranian military and dated Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2025, shows navy ships conducting operations during a join drill by Iranian and Russian forces in the Indian Ocean.(Masoud Nazari Mehrabi/Iranian Army via AP)