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What A Day

Trump’s Iran Power Play

What A Day

What A Day

News, Daily News

4.612.6K Ratings

🗓️ 18 February 2026

⏱️ 23 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

U.S. officials met with Iranian envoys in Switzerland Tuesday to negotiate the fate of Iran’s nuclear program — and came away with a “set of guiding principles,” according to Iran’s foreign minister. But trying to figure out what, exactly, each country wants in these talks is confusing at best. Both President Donald Trump and Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have made not-so-veiled threats of military action toward the other country. So what, exactly, is everyone doing here? Do they want a deal – or a war? To find out, we spoke to Nahal Toosi, the senior foreign affairs correspondent and columnist for Politico.

And in headlines, CBS Late Show host Stephen Colbert calls out his own network, President Trump lashes out over a sewage leak in the Potomac River, and Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is leaving the Trump administration.

Show Notes:

Transcript

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0:00.0

It's Wednesday, February 18th.

0:04.9

I'm Jane Koston, and this is What Today, the show that says,

0:08.0

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., stop working out in jeans and

0:12.4

stop filming yourself working out in jeans.

0:14.9

Actually, just stop.

0:17.4

Whatever you're doing.

0:19.0

Stop.

0:31.1

Thank you. Stop. Whatever you're doing. Stop. On today's show, President Donald Trump lashes out over sewage leaking into the Potomac River.

0:32.1

Sounds like he still hasn't figured out how to drain the swamp.

0:34.6

And Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, Trisha McLaughlin,

0:37.9

is leaving the Trump administration. Goodbye. You will not be missed. But let's start with Iran.

0:44.2

U.S. officials met with Iranian envoys in Switzerland Tuesday to negotiate the fate of Iran's nuclear

0:48.8

program. But it turns out the two sides didn't actually meet. Here's MS. Now's

0:53.9

Inez de la Quatera.

0:55.3

They were indirect talks, so the American and Iranian delegations never actually came face to face.

1:01.3

Instead, they were talking to the Omani foreign minister who was mediating those negotiations.

1:06.6

Not a great sign when you need an intermediary just to agree on a, quote, set of guiding principles,

1:13.0

which, by the way, is what we got out of Tuesday's meeting, according to Iran's foreign minister.

1:17.3

Trying to figure out what exactly the Trump administration wants out of these negotiations is confusing at best.

1:23.3

I mean, last year, President Trump said that U.S. airstriks had, quote, obliterated Iran's nuclear facilities.

1:29.6

So, if that's true, why would we need a deal on its nuclear program now?

1:35.0

And Iran's gestures are just as mind-bending.

...

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