Trump advisers said to prefer Israel attack Iran before US strikes: 'The politics are a lot better'
Senior advisers to President Donald Trump reportedly prefer that Israel attack Iran first, believing it would generate political support in the US by provoking Iranian retaliation. Meanwhile, US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, emphasize concerns over Iran’s missile development and efforts to rebuild its nuclear program, with Vance noting evidence of Iran attempting to reestablish nuclear weapons capabilities. The upcoming Geneva talks aim to address Iran’s nuclear activities amid these heightened tensions.
The Times of Israel is liveblogging Thursday’s events as they unfold.
Trump advisers said to prefer Israel attack Iran before US strikes: ‘The politics are a lot better’
Senior advisers to President Donald Trump prefer that Israel attack Iran before the US launches strikes on the Islamic Republic, according to Politico.
Citing two people familiar with the discussions, the news site says the unnamed administration officials argue that an Israeli strike would lead Iran to retaliate, helping build support among the US public for an American military offensive.
“There’s thinking in and around the administration that the politics are a lot better if the Israelis go first and alone and the Iranians retaliate against us, and give us more reason to take action,” says one of the sources quoted in the report.
Both of the sources tell Politico that a joint US-Israeli operation could be a possible course of action, whether or not Israel strikes first, with one saying that though the talks with Iranians are serious, those closest to Trump believe “we’re going to bomb them.”
The report says the extent of a potential American military campaign remains unclear, citing concerns that the depletion of US munitions could encourage China to attempt an invasion of Taiwan, and that a more expansive offensive raises the prospect of casualties.
“If we’re talking about a regime-change scale attack, Iran is very likely to retaliate with everything they’ve got. We have a lot of assets in the region and every one of those is a potential target,” says one of the sources. “And they’re not under the Iron Dome. So there’s a high likelihood of American casualties. And that comes with lots of political risk.”
Rubio warns of ‘big problem’ if Iran keeps refusing to negotiate missiles
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Iran is attempting to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles and that talks on Thursday with Iran will largely be focused around Tehran’s nuclear program.
Rubio warns that Iran must negotiate on its missile program, a day after US President Donald Trump alleged Tehran was working on rockets that could hit the United States.
“I would say that the Iranian insistence on not discussing ballistic missiles is a big, big problem,” Rubio tells reporters.
Vance says US has seen evidence that Iran is trying to rebuild its nuclear weapons program
The United States sees evidence that Iran is trying to rebuild its nuclear program after US-led strikes against Iranian nuclear sites in June, US Vice President JD Vance says.
“The principle is very simple: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Vance tells reporters, a day ahead of talks in Geneva between US and Iranian delegations. “If they try to rebuild a nuclear weapon, that causes problems for us. In fact, we’ve seen evidence that they have tried to do exactly that.”
Vance notes that US President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are due to attend the negotiations with Iran on Thursday, adding that Trump wants to address the Iranian nuclear program “diplomatically, but of course the president has other options as well.”
NEW: Vice President JD Vance on Iran:
Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon; if they try to rebuild the nuclear weapon, that causes problems for us.
In fact, we've seen evidence that they have tried to do exactly that.
[pic.twitter.com/Hr4gEKnC6e]— Tabz (@TabzLIVE)
[February 25, 2026]
Red Crescent says man critically wounded, reportedly shot by settlers
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society says it received a 35-year-old man from the IDF in critical condition and rushed him to a hospital after he was shot near the village of Yatta, south of Hebron in the southern West Bank. The IDF has not commented on the incident.
WAFA, the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency, says the man was shot by settlers who pursued and opened fire on a vehicle carrying him and several other Palestinians. The settlers then fled with the vehicle, according to eyewitnesses cited by the PA outlet.
Netanyahu dons traditional Indian clothing for dinner with Modi
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office releases photos of Netanyahu dressed in traditional Indian clothing with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi before their dinner this evening.
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