Iranian leader Ayatollah Khamenei is plotting for a doomsday scenario as President Donald Trump has set a new deadline for nuclear negotiations with the nation.
Trump’s top Middle Eastern negotiators – special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, are set to meet with Iranian representatives in Geneva this Thursday to discuss a new nuclear deal. President Donald Trump, however, is not ruling out strikes against Iran in the next 10 to 15 days.
Ali Larijani, a top Iranian national security official and Khamenei advisor, believes that his country is ready for whatever will come their way.
‘We are ready in our country,’ Larijani told Al Jazeera in Qatar this month.
‘We are definitely more powerful than before. We have prepared in the past seven, eight months. We found our weaknesses and fixed them. We are not looking for war, and we won’t start the war. But if they force it on us, we will respond.’
Speaking at the inaugural meeting of his Board of Peace on Thursday, the president warned the US could bomb Iran if a deal isn’t reached within 10 days.
An official in the region said the tactic would likely push Iranian officials out of negotiations for a ‘significant period.’ If it doesn’t work, Trump could then strike regime facilities in an attempt to oust the entire leadership.
While Trump has been ‘repeatedly presented’ this plan by senior aides, discussions in the Oval Office have largely focused on a larger plan of attack.
A handout picture made available by Iran’s Supreme Leader Office shows Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressing a ceremony in Tehran, Iran, on February 17, 2026
People take part in a rally in support of Iranian protesters during a global day of action in Los Angeles, California, US, February 14, 2026
US President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at the White House, in Washington, DC, on February 20, 2026
Resistance to further action against Iran by Trump is increasing in Washington as top congressional voices have argued that his recent military exploits are illegal.
Congressman Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, and Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, are planning to introduce a War Powers Resolution in the House of Representatives as soon as the chamber gavels in for the week as an effort to provide a check on Trump and urge against strikes without Congressional authorization.
Senator Lindsey Graham, on the other hand, is a vocal proponent of military action, telling Axios, ‘I understand concerns about major military operations in the Middle East given past entanglements.’
‘However, the voices who counsel against getting entangled seem to ignore the consequences of letting evil go unchecked,’ he added.
Khamenei, meanwhile, has set up a line of succession four individuals deep for top military and government posts that he oversees, per the New York Times.
During President Trump’s governors’ dinner on Saturday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio slipped out of the East Room of the White House twice, per reports. He was also seen talking with CIA Director John Ratcliffe at the event.
Protests within Iran have escalated since the New Year, and the regime, led by Ayatollah Khamenei, has sought to limit its citizens’ access to the West by cutting off internet connection as well as telephone lines.
Protestors have, however, still been able to get information out of the country through the use of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite technology.
Congressman Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, and Ro Khanna, a California Democrat are planning to introduce a War Powers Resolution in the House of Representatives this week
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with United States Senator Lindsey Graham at his Jerusalem office on February 16, 2026
Trump has intensified his public statements since the protests began, warning Iranian authorities against using force and repeatedly expressing support for what he has described as a push for freedom.
‘Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before,’ the president noted in a post to his Truth Social account, adding that ‘the USA stands ready to help!!!’
The State Department has echoed a hardline tone, pointing to previous US actions against adversarial governments as evidence that Trump follows through on his warnings.
‘Do not play games with President Trump. When he says he’ll do something, he means it,’ a January social media post from the State Department read.
Back in June, Trump directed the US military to deploy a dozen 30,000-pound ‘bunker buster’ bombs that ‘obliterated’ Iran’s three largest nuclear facilities in what the administration later dubbed ‘Operation Midnight Hammer.’
A graphic shows the timeline of ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’, a U.S. strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, released by the U.S. Defense Department in Washington, DC, US June 22, 2025
‘The strikes were a spectacular military success,’ Trump said in a late-night address to the nation from the White House the day after the operation.
The US military joined forces with Israel to launch military strikes against Iran at the time using B-2 ‘bunker bomber’ planes.
Trump later indicated that his decision to authorize the strikes was influenced by the possibility of renewed diplomatic engagement with Tehran.
