Trump touts peace while threatening war with Iran

Axios-Feb 19th2026

By April Rubin

President Trump on Thursday commemorated peace in the Middle East, while the U.S. inches closer to a potential strike on Iran that could ignite a major war.

Why it matters: The threats to Iran contradict Trump’s branding as a global peacemaker.

Driving the news: Trump, during the inaugural meeting of his Board of Peace, took credit for ending Israel’s war in Gaza, while announcing that he’d decide within 10 days whether to bomb Iran.

“An easy word to say but a hard word to produce: peace,” Trump said.

Friction point: A U.S. military operation in Iran could start in the near term, Axios’ Barak Ravid reported on Wednesday.

The U.S. and Iran have had long-running talks about striking a nuclear deal to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, but no definitive progress has been made toward closing a deal.
One skeptical source said the latest round of talks in Switzerland were a “nothing-burger.”

The latest: “Iran is a hot spot right now,” Trump said, adding that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, both of whom he announced as envoys of peace, are having “good talks” with the nation.