Tuesday morning news: February 17, 2026

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Iran nuclear talks » Officials from the United States and Iran are holding a second round of nuclear talks today in Geneva, with Oman mediating.

That comes as President Trump continues to employ so-called ‘gunboat diplomacy,’ ordering another aircraft carrier to the Middle East. His message to Tehran is clear: Strike a deal to curb your nuclear program, or else.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters:

RUBIO:  Our negotiators are on their way there now. They'll have meetings, we'll see what happens. We're hopeful there's a deal, the president always prefers peaceful outcomes and negotiated outcomes to things.

Iranian state TV reports that Iran on Monday launched its second naval drill in recent weeks.

Iran's top diplomat met with the U.N. nuclear watchdog in Geneva on Monday. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi sat down with IAEA chief Rafael Grossi ahead of today’s talks.

Ukraine latest » And the U.S.-Iran meeting is not the only negotiation happening in Geneva today.

The U.S. is also set to broker peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

There again, Secretary Rubio said President Trump wants to see a peaceful solution, adding that the U.S. is doing all it can.

RUBIO: We're the only nation on earth that apparently can get both sides to the table to talk. I'm not here to insult anybody, but the United Nations hasn't been able to do it, and there's no other country in Europe that's been able to do it.

But no one seems particularly optimistic about a breakthrough today with both sides sticking to their non-negotiable demands on key issues.

Moscow, meantime, is reportedly preparing new, massive strikes to target the Ukrainian energy sector.

ZELENSKYY: [Speaking Ukrainian]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says intelligence discovered the plans, and he adds Ukraine's air defenses must be prepared for what he called "Russia's evil plans."

Navalny » Secretary Rubio also said on Monday that the U.S. government has no reason to doubt a new report about the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Five European countries say he was poisoned with a rare toxin from poison dart frogs. The U.K., France, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands say European lab tests confirmed that the toxin epibatidine was found in his body.

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper:

COOPER:  Only the Russian government had the means, the motive, and the opportunity to use that toxin against Alexei Navalny in prison.

His widow, Yulia Navalnaya, reacted to the findings.

NAVALNAYA:  Is scientific proof that my husband Alexei Navalny was poisoned.

The late Russian opposition leader and prominent critic of Vladimir Putin died in a Russian Arctic penal colony in 2024.

Moscow claims he died of natural causes.

Trump on Board of Peace » The Gaza strip's transitional government, President Trump's Board of Peace, will convene Thursday in Washington.

Aboard Air Force One, the president told reporters the meeting could push the United Nations to work harder towards resolving disputes.

TRUMP:  We're gonna have all world leaders. They're putting up tremendous amounts of money, and I think it's gonna go far beyond Gaza. I think it'll be peace all over the world, and we're working in conjunction with the United Nations.

Some world leaders have declined to join the board, saying they believed it would serve to undermine the UN.

Trump says the board is set to unveil 5 billion dollars in funding to work towards reconstruction and security in the Gaza strip.

The United Nations and other world bodies estimate that it'll cost 70 billion dollars to rebuild Gaza.

U.S. forces in Nigeria » U.S. troops are deploying to Nigeria to help fight against Islamic militants. WORLD’s Harrison Watters explains.

HARRISON WATTERS: The Pentagon is sending about 200 troops to the West African nation. Roughly 100 of them have already arrived along with equipment.

This comes after the Nigerian government asked for help with training, technical support, and intelligence-sharing. 

The military there is battling Islamic terror groups like Boko Haram, ISIS, and other armed factions.Those groups have targeted Christians in the country, killing thousands last year, though Muslim residents are not immune to the attacks either.

President Trump has criticized Nigeria for, in his view, not doing enough to protect Christians in particular.

The U.S. troop deployment follows U.S. airstrikes in December against ISIS-affiliated militants in northwestern Nigeria.

For WORLD, I’m Harrison Watters.

Robert Duvall » Actor Robert Duvall has died.

He was known for roles in films such as “To Kill a Mockingbird, “Open Range,” and “Apocalypse Now.”

And he received acclaim for his portrayal of a mafia confidant in the first two “Godfather” movies:

CLIP (Godfather):  Nobody has ever gunned down a New York police captain. Never. It would be disastrous. All the five families would come after you, Sonny, the Corleone family would be outcast! Even the old man's political protection would run for cover!

He won the Oscar for best actor for portraying an over-the-hill country music singer in the 1983 film “Tender Mercies.”

He also won four Golden Globe awards, including one for playing the philosophical cattle-drive boss in the 1989 miniseries “Lonesome Dove.”

Robert Duvall was 95 years old.

I'm Kent Covington.

And straight ahead: Concerns over a new nuclear arms race between Russia and the U.S. Plus, the Trump administration works to lower prescription drug costs.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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