HEADLINES
US Names Iran State Sponsor of Detention
Geneva Talks Stall; Iran Enrichment Looms
Graham Pushes Senate Vetting Iran Deal
The time is now 7:00 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
In the conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, Iran has been designated as a state sponsor of wrongful detention, a designation announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a Friday press statement. Rubio said the Iranian regime must stop taking hostages and release all Americans unjustly detained in Iran, noting that President Trump issued an executive order last fall to protect US nationals abroad and that Congress enacted the Countering Wrongful Detention Act of 2025, authorizing this designation. He warned that further measures could follow if Iran does not stop, including a potential geographic travel restriction on the use of US passports to, through, or from Iran.
Meanwhile, negotiations between the United States and Iran appear to be stalling as Israel braces for a worst-case scenario. The US administration has updated Israel on talks held in Geneva Friday night, amid mounting frustration over proposals that fall short of Washington’s demands. Mediation efforts are led primarily by Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who has been meeting with senior officials in Washington and arrived in the US capital from Geneva. He issued optimistic statements, including a claim that Iran had agreed to relinquish its stockpile of enriched uranium, a concession Washington has long resisted. Even if accurate, major gaps remain on core issues—such as whether enrichment can occur on Iranian soil, Iran’s ballistic missile program, and its support for terrorist organizations. Israeli assessments remain cautious about what a first phase might look like and whether a broader agreement is still attainable.
Separately, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, said that any new deal with Iran would need to be reviewed by the Senate, stressing that this is not a partisan issue for him and that he will ask hard questions regardless of who proposes the agreement. He also indicated that the best solution in these circumstances would be regime change in Iran.
In Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hate, Vice President JD Vance weighed in on the Tucker Carlson–Mike Huckabee interview that has sparked antisemitism allegations and a diplomatic rift with Arab states, calling it “a really good conversation that’s going to be necessary for the right.” He told the Washington Post he had not seen the full two-hour program but had viewed clips; Vance, a longtime ally of Carlson, defended him against antisemitism charges and argued the Republican Party should be an open marketplace of ideas, saying he was pleased that the right has sparked a real exchange of ideas, even with voices he may find annoying.
In Uplifting News, A Burning Man tells the moving story of a father’s dilemma about his soldier son. The Israeli film by Eyal Halfon recently opened in theaters across Israel and follows Yoni, played by Shai Avivi, who brings his son back to a military base in the Negev and cannot bear to leave, parking his car on a bench for days. Through encounters with a cross-section of Israeli life, the film traces the father’s growing dread that another war is looming. The project, begun before the current conflict, was updated by the director and crew to reflect ongoing events, capturing a universal fear shared by many parents of children in the armed forces.
Thank you for tuning in to this Israel Today: Ongoing War Report update.
I'm Noa Levi. Stay safe and informed.
Keep in mind that this AI-generated report may contain occasional inaccuracies, so consult multiple sources for a comprehensive view. Find the code and more details in the podcast description.
SOURCES
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-888231
https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/02/28/us-iran-talks-falter-as-israel-braces-for-worst-case-scenario/
https://www.maariv.co.il/breaking-news/article-1289964
https://www.jpost.com/american-politics/article-888232
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/culture/article-888229
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