--- title: Leavitt Urges Iran to 'Make a Deal' as Trump Escalates Military Buildup description: U.S. and Iranian negotiators remain “very far apart," Leavitt said, as Trump raises fears of an attack by sending more military forces to the region. canonical: https://time.com/7379485/trump-iran-military-strike-nuclear-leavitt/ author: Brian Bennett article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-02-18T20:55:04.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-18T23:42:52.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Leavitt Urges Iran to 'Make a Deal' as Trump Escalates Military Buildup og:description: U.S. and Iranian negotiators remain “very far apart," Leavitt said, as Trump raises fears of an attack by sending more military forces to the region. og:url: https://time.com/7379485/trump-iran-military-strike-nuclear-leavitt/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt704e202eb69190bb/6998cf52f1b08293316f243d/GettyImages-2262343621.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Speaks To The Media og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Leavitt Urges Iran to 'Make a Deal' as Trump Escalates Military Buildup twitter:description: U.S. and Iranian negotiators remain “very far apart," Leavitt said, as Trump raises fears of an attack by sending more military forces to the region. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt704e202eb69190bb/6998cf52f1b08293316f243d/GettyImages-2262343621.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Leavitt Says Iran Would Be ‘Wise to Make a Deal’ as Trump Escalates Military Buildup in Region > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=8da4954f-167f-4453-a9cb-aefc3007c812&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=8da4954f-167f-4453-a9cb-aefc3007c812&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=8da4954f-167f-4453-a9cb-aefc3007c812&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Brian Bennett](https://time.com/author/brian-bennett/)  ## Brian Bennett Bennett is the senior White House correspondent at TIME. Updated: Feb 18, 2026 11:42 PM UTCPublished: Feb 18, 2026 8:55 PM UTC  White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a news briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 18, 2026. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a news briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 18, 2026. Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images  by [Brian Bennett](https://time.com/author/brian-bennett/)  ## Brian Bennett Bennett is the senior White House correspondent at TIME. Updated: Feb 18, 2026 11:42 PM UTCPublished: Feb 18, 2026 8:55 PM UTC U.S. and Iranian negotiators remain “very far apart” on Iran’s nuclear program, a White House official said Wednesday, as President Donald Trump’s military buildup in the region draws increasing speculation about the [prospects of military action](https://time.com/7345744/trump-iran-protesters-strike-explainer/). The negotiators “made a little bit of progress” but are still “very far apart on some issues,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday, referring to meetings with Iranian officials in Geneva a day earlier that included U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law. “I believe the Iranians are expected to come back to us with some more detail in the next couple of weeks,” Leavitt said, a possible signal that strikes against Iran aren’t imminent. Trump threatened to attack the Islamic Republic of Iran in January when Iranian security forces killed, by some estimates, tens of thousands of people protesting the government’s handling of an economic crisis that has led to a currency collapse, spiking inflation and shortages of essential goods. **Read more:** [_Iran on the Edge_](https://time.com/collections/iran-on-the-edge/) Over the past several weeks, the U.S. military has amassed a large amount of firepower in the waters near Iran. The USS Abraham Lincoln carries F/A-18 and F-35 fighter jets and is already in waters near Iran. The USS Mitscher and USS Michael Murphy, both guided-missile destroyers, are in the Persian Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping passage, according to a tracker of the American fleet kept by the U.S. Naval Institute. “We have a lot of very big, very powerful ships sailing to Iran right now, and it would be great if we didn’t have to use them,” Trump said at the end of January. Last June, Trump authorized a coordinated bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan, the most significant American military strike against Iran in decades. Leavitt said that Trump would prefer to negotiate with Iran rather than launch another strike or larger military operation. “The President has always been very clear though with respect to Iran or any country around the world, diplomacy is always his first option, and Iran would be very wise to make a deal with President Trump and with his Administration,” Leavitt said. Asked how long Trump would wait for Iran to agree to his terms, Leavitt said, “I’m not going to set deadlines on behalf of the President of the United States.” Trump has been closely coordinating with Israel on Iran, including during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the White House earlier this month, Leavitt said. Asked if Trump would coordinate war plans with Israel for any potential strike against Iran, Leavitt added, “The United States government is of course always in close communication with the state of Israel and that starts right at the top with the President.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7379485/trump-iran-military-strike-nuclear-leavitt/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7379485/trump-iran-military-strike-nuclear-leavitt/"},"headline":"Leavitt Says Iran Would Be ‘Wise to Make a Deal’ as Trump Escalates Military Buildup in Region","datePublished":"2026-02-18T20:55:04.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-18T23:42:52.000Z","description":"U.S. and Iranian negotiators remain “very far apart,\" the White House press secretary said.","url":"https://time.com/7379485/trump-iran-military-strike-nuclear-leavitt/","keywords":["Military","Donald Trump"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt704e202eb69190bb/6998cf52f1b08293316f243d/GettyImages-2262343621.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Brian Bennett","jobTitle":"Bennett is the senior White House correspondent at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/brian-bennett/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt704e202eb69190bb/6998cf52f1b08293316f243d/GettyImages-2262343621.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Speaks To The Media","caption":"White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Speaks To The Media","creditText":"Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/military/","name":"Military"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7379485/trump-iran-military-strike-nuclear-leavitt/","name":"Leavitt Says Iran Would Be ‘Wise to Make a Deal’ as Trump Escalates Military Buildup in Region"}}]}] ```