By JON GAMBRELL

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran and the United States leaned into gunboat diplomacy on Thursday as nuclear talks between the nations hung in the balance, with Tehran holding drills with Russia and the Americans bringing another aircraft carrier closer to the Mideast.

The Iranian drill and the arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier near the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea underscore the tensions between the nations. Iran earlier this week also launched a drill that involved live-fire in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow opening of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil passes.

Related Articles

World shares are mixed, while US futures advance following a Wall St rally led by Nvidia

Walmart delivers another quarter of impressive sales but offers a muted outlook

Today in History: February 19, Edison issued a patent for the phonograph

Man who lived rent-free in New Yorker Hotel, then claimed to own it, pleads guilty to fraud charge

Guide company leading group caught in deadly avalanche warned of snow conditions days before incident

The movements of additional American warships and airplanes don’t guarantee a U.S. strike on Iran — but it does give President Donald Trump the ability to carry out one should he choose to do so. He’s so far held off on striking Iran after setting red lines over the killing of peaceful protesters and Tehran holding mass executions, while reengaging Tehran in nuclear talks earlier disrupted by the Iran-Israel war in June.

“Should Iran decide not to make a Deal, it may be necessary for the United States to use Diego Garcia, and the Airfield located in Fairford, in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous Regime,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social website, seeking to pressure the United Kingdom over its plans to settle the future of the Chagos Islands with Mauritius.

Meanwhile, Iran struggles with unrest at home following its crackdown on protests, with mourners now holding ceremonies honoring their dead 40 days after their killing by security forces. Some of the gatherings have included anti-government cries, despite threats from authorities.

Iran holds drill with Russia

The drill Thursday saw Iranian forces and Russian sailors conduct operations in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported. The drill will be aimed at “upgrading operational coordination as well as exchange of military experiences,” IRNA added.

This image provided Thursday Feb. 19, 2026 by the Iranian military and dand dated Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2025, shows navy ships conducting operations during a join drill by Iranian and Russian forces in the Indian Ocean.(Masoud Nazari Mehrabi/Iranian Army via AP)

China had joined the “Security Belt” drill in previous years, but there was no acknowledgment it participated in this round. In recent days, a vessel that appeared to be a Steregushchiy-class Russian corvette had been seen at a military port in the Iranian city of Bandar Abbas.

Iran also issued a rocket-fire warning to pilots in the region, suggesting they planned to launch anti-ship missiles in the exercise.

Meanwhile, tracking data showed the Ford off the coast of Morocco in the Atlantic Ocean midday Wednesday, meaning the carrier could transit through Gibraltar and potentially station in the eastern Mediterranean with its supporting guided-missile destroyers.

This image provided Thursday Feb. 19, 2026 by the Iranian military and dated Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2025, shows navy ships conducting operations during a join drill by Iranian and Russian forces in the Indian Ocean. (Masoud Nazari Mehrabi/Iranian Army via AP)

Having the carrier there could allow American forces to have extra aircraft and anti-missile power to potentially protect Israel and Jordan should a conflict break out with Iran. The U.S. similarly placed warships there during the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip to protect against Iranian fire.

Anti-government chants made at mourning ceremonies

Mourning ceremonies for those killed by security forces in the protests last month also have increased. Iranians traditionally mark the death of a loved one 40 days after the loss. Both witnesses and social media videos showed memorials taking place at Tehran’s massive Behesht-e Zahra cemetery. Some memorials included people chanting against Iran’s theocracy while singing nationalistic songs.

This is a locator map for Iran with its capital, Tehran. (AP Photo)

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 at Tehran’s historic Grand Bazaar, initially over the collapse of Iran’s currency, the rial, then spread across the country. Tensions exploded on Jan. 8, with demonstrations called for by Iran’s exiled crown prince, Reza Pahlavi.

Iran’s government has offered only one death toll for the violence, with 3,117 people killed. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous rounds of unrest in Iran, puts the death toll at over 7,000 killed, with many more feared dead.

Associated Press writer Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.

By ELAINE KURTENBACH

Markets on Wall Street Thursday were poised to give back a slice of the gains made a day earlier on the shoulders of computer chip giant Nvidia.

Futures for the S&P 500 were down 0.2% before the opening bell, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.2%. Nasdaq futures were off close to 0.3%.

Related Articles

Walmart delivers another quarter of impressive sales but offers a muted outlook

Data center foes bring swelling opposition to Minnesota Capitol

Online seller eBay to buy secondhand fashion marketplace Depop from Etsy for $1.2B in cash

Fed minutes: Lower inflation needed before many officials will support rate cuts

Grandson of the inventor of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups accuses Hershey of cutting corners

Walmart shares sank more than 3% in premarket after the retail giant hinted at a volatile economic environment ahead, despite delivering another quarter of standout results. In its first reporting period since new CEO John Furner took the helm from Doug McMillon, Walmart nudged past sales and profit expectations as the promise of lower prices drew in a broader spectrum of Americans during the critical holiday shopping period.

EBay shares jumped nearly 8% overnight after the online auction site breezed past sales and profit targets and announced that it was paying Etsy $1.2 billion to acquire the secondhand fashion marketplace Depop in a bid to capture a bigger share of the Gen Z market.

In energy trading, oil prices rose around 1.5% on media reports that the likelihood of a U.S. conflict with Iran was rising.

President Donald Trump has been weighing whether to take military action against Iran as his administration surges military resources to the region while holding indirect talks with Tehran over its nuclear program. That is raising concerns that any attack could spiral into a larger conflict in the Middle East.

U.S. benchmark crude oil gained $1.02 to $66.07 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, picked up $1 to $71.35.

Elsewhere, in European trading, Germany’s DAX lost 0.9% by midday, while the CAC 40 in Paris slid 0.8%. Britain’s FTSE 100 gave up 0.6%.

A chart above the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange displays an intraday number for the SPY, tracking the S&P 500, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Markets in Greater China were closed for Lunar New Year holidays, while some others in the region reopened for trading.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 added 0.6% to 57,467.83, while in South Korea, the Kospi jumped 3.1% to 5,677.25 as markets reopened following holidays earlier in the week. Samsung Electronics, the market’s biggest heavyweight, gained 4.9%.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 advanced 0.9% to 9,086.20.

Southeast Asian markets surged, with Thailand’s SET up 1.7%. India’s Sensex shed early gains to fall 1.1%.

In currency trading early Thursday, the dollar bought 154.79 Japanese yen, down from 154.83 yen. The euro fell to $1.1771 from $1.1782.

The price for an ounce of gold held steady just above $5,000 while silver ticked down less than 1% to $78 an ounce.

Bitcoin was effectively flat at $66,559.

By MELANIE LIDMAN

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Clashes in the Israeli-occupied West Bank killed a 19-year-old Palestinian-American man late Wednesday night, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

The ministry said Nasrallah Muhammad Jamal Abu Siyam was shot by settlers in the village of Mukhmas, north of Jerusalem.

Related Articles

UK’s former Prince Andrew arrested: Read the police statement in full

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over ties to Epstein

Today in History: February 19, Edison issued a patent for the phonograph

Study finds warming world increases days when weather is prone to fires around the globe

Pope laments ‘ashes of international law’ left by today’s conflicts in Ash Wednesday liturgy

The Israeli military said soldiers responded to a violent confrontation in the area and attempted to disperse a riot. The military said that suspects shot at several Palestinians, who were evacuated for medical treatment.

Abu Siyam’s mother told The Associated Press that he also held American citizenship. The U.S. Embassy did not respond to requests for comment Thursday,

Violence in the West Bank from extremist settlers has soared in the past few years.

Palestinians and rights groups say authorities routinely fail to prosecute settlers or hold them accountable for violence. Under National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, investigations into settler attacks have plummeted, according to the Israeli rights group Yesh Din.

In a rare move earlier this week, Israeli prosecutors announced they plan to charge a settler in the killing of a Palestinian activist during a confrontation that was caught on video.

More than 3.4 million Palestinians and 700,000 Israelis live in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in 1967 and sought by Palestinians for a future state. The international community overwhelmingly considers Israeli settlement construction in these areas to be illegal and an obstacle to peace.

Report finds Palestinian journalists imprisoned in Israel were tortured

The Committee to Protect Journalists said that dozens of Palestinian journalists who were detained in Israel during the war in Gaza experienced terrible conditions, including physical assaults, forced stress positions, sensory deprivation, sexual violence and medical neglect.

CPJ has documented the detention of at least 94 Palestinian journalists and one media worker during the war in Gaza. It covers 32 journalists and one media worker from Gaza, 60 from the West Bank, and two from Israel. Thirty of the journalists are still in custody, CPJ said.

The report found that half of the journalists detained were never charged with a crime and were held under Israel’s administrative detention system, which allows for suspects deemed a security risk to be held for six months and can be renewed indefinitely.

Israel’s prison services did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the report, but had rejected a similar report in January about conditions for Palestinian prisoners as “false allegations,” contending it operates lawfully, is subject to oversight and reviews complaints.

UN development chief says removing Gaza rubble will take 7 years

The vast destruction across Gaza will take at least seven years just to remove the rubble, according to the United Nations Development Program.

Alexander De Croo, the former Belgian prime minister who just returned from Gaza, said that the UNDP had removed just 0.5% of the rubble and people in Gaza are experiencing “the worst living conditions that I have ever seen.”

De Croo said 90% of Gaza’s 2.2 million people live in “very, very rudimentary tents” in the middle of the rubble, which poses health dangers and a danger from exploding weapons.

He said UNDP has been able to build 500 improved housing units, and has 4,000 more that are ready, but estimates the true need is 200,000 to 300,000 units. The units are meant to be used temporarily while reconstruction takes place. He called on Israel to expand access for goods and items needed for reconstruction and the private sector to begin development.

Associated Press writer Edith Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.

Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

It’s a slow commute on Thursday morning after several inches of snow fell in parts of the metro starting during the Wednesday evening commute and continuing overnight.

On Thursday morning, the Twin Cities office of the National Weather Service reports that 7.6 inches of snow fell at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, 6.5 inches at Chanhassen, 2.5 inches in Eau Claire, Wis. and only 0.2 inches for St. Cloud.

“The surface low went across central MN,” the weather service reported on X, “so this is where a corridor of bore showed up, with heavy snow to the north and south of the low.”

Other totals were still incoming on Thursday morning, but as with St. Cloud, some areas of the extended metro saw no or little snow, with the most snow falling in the south metro.

A narrow band of light snow remains stationary over portions of Minnesota and western Wisconsin on Thursday morning, the weather service noted.

“Many routes are partially snow-covered, especially southwest Twin Cities metro,” the weather service warned on X. “Give yourself extra time for the morning commute as it may be slower than normal!”

The difficult conditions began during the Wednesday afternoon and evening commutes, with slow traffic and near whiteout conditions for some.

From 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the Minnesota State Patrol reported six injury crashes, 132 property damage crashes, 109 vehicles off the road, eight vehicle spin outs and eight jackknifed semis.

The State Patrol recommends checking out 511mn.org before heading out, as well as slowing down and driving safely for these conditions.

It’s a mild storm compared to what the North Shore faced, including snow, whiteout conditions, travel difficulties on U.S. 61 and breaking up the ice on the ice caves of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin.

Later today in the Twin Cities, it’s expected to warm up to a seasonable 32 degrees.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Related Articles

Minnesota Capitol rally calls for state aid following immigration crackdown

Feds: Former MN corrections officer was in U.S. illegally, a ‘serial fraudster’

Kenety S. Gee: Thank you, Minnesota, for standing with us when it mattered most

No ‘masked secret agents,’ St. Paul City Council says in passing ordinance

St. Paul man gets probation for copper wire thefts that cost the city $200K in repairs