The briefing for Monday, February 16.

The second round of US-brokered nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States begins Tuesday in Geneva, with significant gaps remaining between the parties. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled from Tehran to participate in the indirect talks, which will be mediated by Oman. According to the BBC, Iran has offered to dilute its stockpile of 60% enriched uranium as a compromise measure, signaling willingness to negotiate if the US discusses lifting sanctions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu laid out stringent conditions for any deal in a Sunday speech in Jerusalem, demanding that all enriched material leave Iran and that the country be barred from any future enrichment capability. These demands go beyond the Trump administration's stated priority of scaling back Iran's nuclear program and extend to neutralizing Iran's ballistic missile program and ending support for proxy groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. Iran regards zero enrichment as a red line and a violation of its rights under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

The talks occur against a backdrop of heightened military tensions. Trump ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier to the Middle East and has repeatedly threatened military force to compel Iranian compliance. Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that Washington prefers a diplomatic solution, telling reporters "No one's been able to do a successful deal with Iran, but we're gonna try." Before the June 2025 war, Iran had been enriching uranium to 60% purity, just a short technical step from weapons-grade levels. Gulf Arab countries have warned that any military strike could spiral into broader regional conflict.

The partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security entered its second day Sunday with lawmakers and the White House showing no signs of reaching agreement on oversight requirements for federal immigration officers. The impasse began Saturday after Democrats and the Trump administration failed to reach a deal on funding legislation, with Congress now on recess until February 23. The shutdown affects agencies including TSA, FEMA, the Coast Guard, Secret Service, ICE, and CBP, though about 90% of DHS employees continue working without pay.

The dispute centers on Democratic demands for accountability measures following the fatal shootings of US citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal officers in Minneapolis last month. Democrats want immigration agents to clearly identify themselves, remove masks during operations, display unique ID numbers, wear body cameras, and obtain judicial warrants for arrests on private property. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer argued these are commonsense proposals that mirror requirements for law enforcement agencies nationwide.

White House border czar Tom Homan rejected the identification and mask removal requirements, saying officers need to protect themselves from doxing and harassment. Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin said he could support body cameras and training improvements but opposed measures that would expose officers' identities. Despite the shutdown, deportation operations continue unabated because Trump's 2025 tax and spending law provided billions in additional funding to ICE and CBP that can be tapped independently. DHS reports it has deported more than 675,000 migrants since Trump returned to office.

President Trump announced Sunday that members of his Board of Peace have pledged $5 billion toward rebuilding Gaza, with commitments for thousands of personnel to join international stabilization and police forces for the territory. The pledges will be formally unveiled Thursday when board members gather in Washington for the inaugural meeting of Trump's newly created international body. While Trump did not detail which nations made the financial commitments, Indonesia's military confirmed it is preparing up to 8,000 troops for potential deployment.

Indonesia's contribution represents the first firm commitment to the security mission created under the Board of Peace initiative. According to Brigadier General Donny Pramono, the Indonesian National Armed Forces has finalized a composite brigade structure with an advance team of 1,000 personnel ready by April and the full deployment by June. Indonesia emphasized its role would be strictly humanitarian, focusing on civilian protection, medical services, and reconstruction without participation in combat operations.

The reconstruction effort faces enormous challenges, with the UN, World Bank, and European Union estimating total costs at $70 billion for the war-ravaged territory. Few places in Gaza remained unscathed after more than two years of Israeli bombardment. The October ceasefire deal calls for an armed international force to maintain security and ensure Hamas's disarmament, a key Israeli demand. Thursday's meeting will take place at the newly renamed Donald J. Trump US Institute of Peace, though Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is not expected to attend despite meeting with Trump at the White House last week.

The seven states dependent on the Colorado River failed to reach agreement by Saturday's deadline on a plan to address record drought and water shortages, marking the second missed deadline set by federal officials. Arizona, California, and Nevada released a joint statement calling on Upper Basin states—Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming—to offer more conservation concessions. The three Lower Basin states said they have offered to decrease their Colorado River allocations by 27%, 10%, and 17% respectively.

Colorado Senator John Hickenlooper called the situation "dire," pointing to the state's low snowpack levels. "If we don't address this problem together—head-on and fast—our communities, farms, and economies will suffer," Hickenlooper said in a statement, warning that litigation won't solve the long-term aridification problem. The impasse threatens water supplies for more than 40 million people across the states, Mexico, and Native American tribes who depend on the river for drinking water, agriculture, and electricity.

Scientists recently found snow cover and depth in the West are at their lowest levels in decades, with some areas experiencing their warmest December through early February on record. Normally, snow cover this time of year spans about 460,000 square miles, but this year it covers only about 155,000 square miles—roughly the size of California rather than the typical California-Utah-Idaho-Montana combined area. If states cannot reach consensus, the federal government could impose its own plan, potentially leading to litigation and leaving all parties dissatisfied. The current negotiations have been ongoing for over two years as chronic overuse, drought, and climate change continue to reduce water flows.

The US military boarded a second sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean over the weekend after tracking the vessel from the Caribbean Sea in what the Pentagon described as enforcement of President Trump's quarantine on Venezuelan oil exports. The operation targeted the Panamanian-flagged Veronica III, which departed Venezuela on January 3—the same day US forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro—carrying 1.9 million barrels of crude oil according to monitoring group TankerTrackers.com.

"The vessel tried to defy President Trump's quarantine—hoping to slip away," the Pentagon said in a statement accompanying video footage of the boarding. "We tracked it from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, closed the distance, and shut it down. Distance does not protect you." The Veronica III is under US Treasury Department sanctions and has been involved in transporting Russian, Iranian, and Venezuelan oil since 2023. The Panama Maritime Authority said the ship's Panamanian registration had been canceled in December 2024.

The boarding represents the second such interception in the Indian Ocean within a week, part of Trump's broader effort to control Venezuelan oil supplies. The administration has seized at least seven oil tankers since last year as part of the blockade Trump ordered in December. The enforcement has sharply curtailed Venezuelan oil exports, with loadings falling roughly by half in January to about 400,000 barrels per day according to analytics firm Kpler. Only ships associated with Chevron and bound for the US continue operating as usual. The Pentagon did not specify whether the Veronica III was formally seized or the vessel's ultimate disposition.

Another round of US-brokered negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian envoys will take place Tuesday and Wednesday in Geneva, just days before the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's communications adviser Dmytro Lytvyn both confirmed the talks, which represent the third attempt to find consensus after two previous rounds in Abu Dhabi failed to resolve key issues.

The return of Vladimir Medinsky to lead Russia's delegation could signal a shift toward political discussions. Medinsky, who headed Moscow's negotiating team in the first direct peace talks in Istanbul in March 2022, has historically pushed President Putin's maximalist conditions for peace. Ukraine's team will again be led by National Security and Defense Council chief Rustem Umerov. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Zelenskyy expressed concerns about proposed US plans for a free trade zone in the Donbas region and questioned how security guarantees would work, noting the Americans want to sign all agreements simultaneously while Ukraine prefers security guarantees first.

The talks occur as fighting continues along the roughly 750-mile front line, with Russia controlling about 20% of Ukrainian territory. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte pushed back against perceptions of Russian success, saying Russian forces are moving at "the speed of a garden snail" with staggering losses. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned that Russia hopes to win diplomatically what it failed to achieve militarily, banking on the US to deliver concessions. Overnight attacks continued, with a Russian strike killing three brothers aged 8 to 19 in eastern Ukraine, while Ukrainian drone strikes sparked fires at Russia's Taman port on the Black Sea.