Event: Mike Huckabee

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday (February 27, 2026) he's “not happy” with Iran talks so far, but that he'll wait to see what happens in additional rounds of negotiations with the West Asian country over its nuclear program.“I'm not happy with the fact that they're not willing to give us what we have to have. I'm not thrilled with that. We'll see what happens. We're talking later,” Mr. Trump told reporters as he left the White House on Friday. “We're not exactly happy with the way they're negotiating. They cannot have nuclear weapons,” Mr. Trump said.Also Read | U.S.-Iran nuclear talks to resume in Geneva against backdrop of military threatTensions between the United States and Iran remain high after their latest nuclear talks in Geneva on Thursday failed to reach and breakthrough, and as American forces gather in the region.Mr. Trump has threatened military action if Iran does not agree to a far-reaching deal to constrain its nuclear program. Iran insists it has the right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes and denies seeking a nuclear weapon.Mr. Trump was asked about the risks of the U.S. getting involved in a drawn-out conflict in the West Asia if it launches strikes on Iran.“I guess you could say there's always a risk,” Mr. Trump replied. “You know, when there's war, there's a risk of anything, both good and bad.” Earlier Friday, the U.S. State Department said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would make a quick trip to Israel early next week. The U.S, Embassy in Israel had earlier urged staff who want to leave to depart, joining other nations in encouraging people to leave the region and signalling that U.S. military action might be imminent. The announcement of Rubio's visit could indicate a longer timeline for any potential strike.A…

AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTYou have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.The package worth billions of dollars and endorsed by lawmakers is stalled at the State Department as the U.S. and China plan an April summit.An Air Force Patriot missile system was deployed at a local park during Taiwan’s annual Han Kuang military exercise last year.Credit...I-Hwa Cheng/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesEdward Wong and Robert JimisonEdward Wong reports on diplomacy and has written a book on China. Robert Jimison reports on foreign policy in Congress.Feb. 27, 2026, 7:47 p.m. ETThe Trump administration has delayed announcing a package of arms sales to Taiwan valued at billions of dollars to avoid upsetting Xi Jinping, China’s leader, ahead of President Trump’s planned trip to Beijing in April, U.S. officials said.The weapons sale, which includes air-defense missiles, is in an advanced stage. Senior Republican and Democratic lawmakers approved the package after the State Department sent it to them in January for informal review.However, since then, the sales package has languished in the State Department, the officials said. Administration officials have told some involved in the approval of the sale that the White House ordered agencies not to move forward to ensure that Mr. Trump has a successful summit with Mr. Xi, one official said.Another official said the package has a total value of about $13 billion, compared with the $11 billion sale that the Trump administration announced in December. The U.S. officials spoke to The New York Times on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic and security matters.The State Department said it does not comment on pending arms sales. “This administration has been very clear that the enduring U.S. commitment to Taiwan continues, as it has for over four…

The US secretary of state Marco Rubio told ambassadors in the Middle East to stop making public comments that could inflame tensions and undermine Donald Trump’s pressure on Iran to relinquish its capacity to produce a nuclear weapon, according to a memo obtained by the Guardian.“Given rising tensions in the region, Chiefs of Mission and embassies at addressee posts must refrain from public statements, interviews, or social media activity that could in any way inflame regional audiences, prejudice sensitive political issues, or complicate US relationships,” the cable said.“Chiefs of Mission are expected to avoid all commentary on issues that could heighten tensions or create confusion about US policy. Discipline in public messaging is essential, especially at this time,” it added.Inside the administration, the directive was widely interpreted as a pointed rebuke of the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, following his recent appearance on former Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s podcast in which he said Israel had a biblical right to much of the land in the Middle East.While the unclassified cable signed by Rubio did not single out Huckabee by name, its circulation to him and its timing on 23 February – coming two days after his remarks drew condemnation across the Middle East – appeared to leave little doubt about its intended target.The directive came as White House officials reacted with alarm to Huckabee’s comments, concerned it could harden Iran’s position ahead of last-ditch negotiations this week with Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for a nuclear deal to stave off a military conflict.“The president is starting to get pissed with Huckabee for interfering with his negotiation,” said a person familiar with the matter. “And he hasn’t forgotten that his daughter refused to endorse him in the last campaign.”The latest round of talks between the US and…

Donald Trump says he has not made a final decision on whether to launch strikes on Iran but is “not happy” with the situation and military force – including regime change – remains an option.The remarks came at the White House on Friday after talks between the US and Iran on Tehran’s nuclear programme ended inconclusively, with a suggestion that further discussions would be held next week.Trump told reporters he favoured diplomacy but repeated his insistence that Iran could not possess a nuclear weapon. “It’d be wonderful if they negotiated in … good faith and conscience but they are not getting there so far,” he said.Asked whether US strikes could lead to regime change in Iran, he said: “Nobody knows. There might be, and there might not be. [It would be] nice if we could do it without but sometimes you have to do it.”The US has authorised the departure of non-essential government workers and their families from Israel as the threat of an American strike on Iran looms.US citizens should “consider leaving Israel while commercial flights are available”, the Department of State advisory added. It also urged against travel to Israel.Graphic showing US navy ships in the Middle East and eastern MediterraneanThe US has assembled two carrier strike groups ready to attack if Trump decides Iran is not serious about ending its nuclear activities.The Department of State warning was supplemented by a message to US embassy staff from the ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, urging those that wanted to leave to “do so TODAY”.Huckabee contacted embassy staff in an email sent at 12.04am local time, urging them to book flights anywhere they could.This move “will likely result in high demand for airline seats today”, he wrote. “Focus on getting a seat to any place from which you can then…

AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTYou have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.In an email to embassy workers Friday morning, Ambassador Mike Huckabee warned them that if they wanted to leave Israel, they “should do so TODAY.”U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee at his office in the embassy in Jerusalem, in August. Credit...Ronen Zvulun/ReutersFeb. 27, 2026Updated 1:43 p.m. ETWith the threat of a U.S. strike on Iran looming, the United States Embassy in Jerusalem has told its workers that they may leave Israel and warned them that if they want to, it is vital that they do so immediately.The directive came from Ambassador Mike Huckabee in an email to embassy workers at the U.S. mission on Friday, a copy of which was reviewed by The New York Times.Those wishing to leave “should do so TODAY,” Mr. Huckabee wrote, urging them to find flights out of Ben-Gurion Airport to any destination for which they could book passage. “There is no need to panic,” he added, “but for those desiring to leave, it’s important to make plans to depart sooner rather than later.”The email, which was verified by three people with knowledge of the matter, made no explicit mention of Iran. It followed meetings and phone calls through the night, Mr. Huckabee wrote to employees, and resulted from “an abundance of caution” and conversations with the State Department in which officials agreed that the safety of embassy staff was a priority.The embassy’s move “will likely result in high demand for airline seats today,” he said in the email. “Focus on getting a seat to anyplace from which you can then continue travel to DC, but the first priority will be getting expeditiously out of country.”He added that while there…

Beijing has called for all hands on deck to work out what ever-unpredictable US President Donald Trump might demand when he sits down with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in a few weeks.Several sources, all speaking on condition of anonymity, said various Chinese government departments had been told to research and assess the US leader’s potential demands and come up with possible concessions Beijing could put on the table.Agreements are being mapped out in a range of areas but, the sources said, a breakthrough on Taiwan remained highly unlikely.Xi and Trump, joined by senior Chinese and American officials, meet in Busan, South Korea, on October 30, 2025, on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting. Photo: ReutersChina has yet to formally announce Trump’s visit, but its foreign ministry has said the two countries have been “in communication” about the trip.

AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTYou have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.News AnalysisGermany’s chancellor seeks to reduce Europe’s reliance on China and the United States. He speaks with a bluntness that few business leaders share.German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Beijing on Wednesday with Premier Li Qiang.Credit...Pool photo by Michael KappelerJim TankersleyReporting from across Germany, including Berlin, the Mercedes-Benz headquarters in Stuttgart and the Munich Security ConferenceFeb. 26, 2026On Wednesday in Beijing, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized Chinese trade policies that hurt German companies.The next day, he visited the Beijing operations of an iconic German automaker, rode in its new luxury sedan and listened politely as its chief executive extolled innovation opportunities in China.The juxtaposition showed a disconnect between Mr. Merz and the 30-some captains of German industry who accompanied him on his quick trip to China this week, a disconnect that is not limited to Beijing.Mr. Merz, arguably his continent’s most powerful politician, wants Europe to become less dependent on China and the United States, economically and militarily. He has warned both countries — and his European friends — of the dangers of a world in which great powers bully their way to whatever they want on the global stage.Europe’s business leaders are, at least publicly, far more constrained. They have avoided ruffling feathers in the world’s two largest economies, eager to tune out politics and focus on profits.In a meeting this week with Xi Jinping, China’s leader, Mr. Merz raised concerns over Chinese factory subsidies and its weak currency, which he said impeded economic cooperation.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you…

You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.The founders of HateAid, a German human-rights group that helps victims of online attacks, were accused by the Trump administration of being part of a “global censorship-industrial complex.”Anna-Lena von Hodenberg, left, and Josephine Ballon of the organization HateAid in Germany. The group provides legal support for victims of digital violence and supports strengthening accountability for online platforms.They Helped Women Fight Online Abuse. They Were Barred From the U.S.The founders of HateAid, a German human-rights group that helps victims of online attacks, were accused by the Trump administration of being part of a “global censorship-industrial complex.”Anna-Lena von Hodenberg, left, and Josephine Ballon of the organization HateAid in Germany. The group provides legal support for victims of digital violence and supports strengthening accountability for online platforms.Credit...Feb. 26, 2026Josephine Ballon was on her couch in Berlin two nights before Christmas when she received an email saying that her visa for traveling to the United States had been revoked.She was stunned, but not entirely surprised. In the preceding months, Ms. Ballon had worried that the organization she co-leads, HateAid, was under scrutiny from the Trump administration and its allies for supporting Germany’s tough social media rules. Last year, Vice President JD Vance had called those policies “lunacy” and “Orwellian.”Ms. Ballon’s suspicions about why her U.S. visa had been revoked were soon confirmed. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Ms. Ballon and her colleague Anna-Lena von Hodenberg were indefinitely barred from traveling to the United States, accusing them of being part of a “global censorship-industrial complex.” If they entered the country, it could have “serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States,” Mr. Rubio said.“We have felt like they…

AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTYou have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.News analysisChina’s play for U.S. allies has a problem: As Germany’s leader showed, Europe’s grievances with Beijing may run deeper than its frustration with Trump.Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany at the Forbidden City in Beijing on Thursday, the second day of a trip during which he promoted ties while airing German concerns about Chinese trade practices.Credit...Tingshu Wang/ReutersFeb. 26, 2026China’s leader, Xi Jinping, tried to sell Germany on a future less tied to the United States and anchored instead in Chinese markets and technology.Mr. Xi pledged that China would continue to “share development opportunities with Germany and the wider world” in his meeting with Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany, who was on a visit to Beijing that seemed curated to highlight such opportunities. On Thursday, Mr. Merz tried out a new Mercedes-Benz in Beijing, then flew to the eastern city of Hangzhou to tour a Chinese robotics company.But for all the pageantry, the visit has also laid bare the limits of that sales pitch.Unlike other Western leaders who have met with Mr. Xi in recent weeks, Mr. Merz was publicly pointed. He paired pledges of cooperation with an accounting of how a flood of Chinese exports and an unfair playing field are harming German businesses and contributing to the loss of thousands of jobs in his country each month.“Competition between companies must be fair,” Mr. Merz said in a statement after he met with Mr. Xi on Wednesday, describing what it would take for Germany’s relationship with China to succeed moving forward. “We need transparency, we need reliability, and we also need adherence to jointly established rules.”Such demands show that Mr. Xi’s courtship of the West…

Although the speech that Marco Rubio delivered to the Munich Security Conference was softer in tone than vice-president J.D. Vance’s in 2025, the Europe he celebrated was that of the ethno-nationalist far right. Europe is on its own, and it must start acting like it Director Commentary 20 February 2026 3 minute read Marco Rubio (Secretary of State, United States of America; Acting National Security Advisor, The White House, United States of America) at the 62nd Munich Security Conference (MSC) © At last year’s Munich Security Conference, J.D. Vance gave a performance worthy of his boss in both its theatricality and its virality. Not only did he break the norm of transatlantic comity and forego the usual bromides that previous US vice presidents brought to the MSC; he also snubbed his German guests by meeting with Alice Weidel of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) instead of the then Chancellor Olaf Scholz. By contrast, the American tone was much more conciliatory this year. But though the optics have changed, the core message has not. The US delegation’s two big interventions, by secretary of state Marco Rubio and under secretary of “war” (defence) Elbridge Colby, displayed the two sides of the Trumpian coin. And each, in its own way, underscored the long-term challenge facing Europeans. On the surface, Colby’s remarks seemed to pose the more direct challenge. A hard-nosed realist, he is America’s third-highest-ranking defence official, with responsibilities that include deciding where and how US troops are deployed. In a question-and-answer session that I mediated, he argued that Europeans and Americans no longer have any shared values to stand on. For him, the highlight of the conference was that he had heard the term “rules-based order” mentioned only twice. Colby made clear that although the US remains committed to its extended…