TRUMP: U.S. B2 BOMBERS READY ‘DO THEIR JOB AGAIN’: There was a moment yesterday when it looked as if the U.S.-Iran nuclear talks might be scuttled and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff might be heading home over Tehran’s insistence that the focus of the negotiations be limited to Iran nuclear program, with discussions of ballistic missiles and support for terrorists off the table.
But within hours, the talks were back on, with a change of venue, set to commence tomorrow morning in Muscat, Oman, at 10 a.m. local time, instead of Istanbul, Turkey, according to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
The diplomatic posturing came as President Donald Trump, in an interview with NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Llamas, put Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on notice that military force remains an option if no deal is reached. “I would say he should be very worried, yeah. He should be,” Trump told Llamas.
When Llamas pressed Trump about why he is so anxious to make a new deal, when Trump had claimed the entire program had been “obliterated” in the Midnight Hammer strikes of last June, Trump said, “They tried to go back to the site. They weren’t even able to get near it, there was total obliteration … They were thinking about starting a new site in a different part of the country. We found out about it.”
“I said, ‘You do that, we’re gonna do very bad things to you,’” Trump said, warning Iran that U.S. B-2 bombers were ready to strike again. “I let ‘em know, if they do, we’re gonna send ‘em right back and do their job again.”
RUBIO: ‘NOT SURE YOU CAN REACH A DEAL WITH THESE GUYS’: Secretary of State Marco Rubio attributed the brief hiccup in the planned negotiations to a request by Iran for a change of format, but said Witkoff was always willing to talk. “The United States is prepared to meet with them,” Rubio said. “Steve is ready to go.”
“I think in order for talks to actually lead to something meaningful, they will have to include certain things, and that includes the range of their ballistic missiles. That includes their sponsorship of terrorist organizations across the region. That includes the nuclear program, and that includes the treatment of their own people,” Rubio told reporters at the State Department. “And one of the reasons why the Iranian regime cannot provide the people of Iran the quality of life that they deserve is because they’re spending all their money, they’re spending all their resources – of what is a rich country – sponsoring terrorism.”
But Rubio also expressed skepticism that Iran was truly ready to meet U.S. demands. “I’m not sure you can reach a deal with these guys, but we’re going to try to find out,” Rubio said. “We don’t see there’s any harm in trying to figure out if there’s something that can be done. This is a president that always prefers a peaceful outcome to any conflict or any challenge.”
VANCE WARNS SAUDI ARABIA WILL NUCLEARIZE IF IRAN ALLOWED TO OBTAIN NUCLEAR WEAPONS
WICKER: ‘THE ACTIONS OF THIS TERRORIST REGIME ARE OUT OF CONTROL’: Meanwhile, Iran has stepped up provocative actions in the Arabian Gulf, ignoring a warning issued by the U.S. Central Command last week directed at Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. “We will not tolerate unsafe IRGC actions, including overflight of U.S. military vessels engaged in flight operations, low-altitude or armed overflight of U.S. military assets when intentions are unclear, high-speed boat approaches on a collision course with U.S. military vessels, or weapons trained at U.S. forces.”
But on Tuesday, an F-35 from the USS Abraham Lincoln shot down an Iranian drone that was flying “aggressively” toward the carrier and its escort ship with “unclear intent,” a U.S. official told the Washington Examiner. And in a separate incident, Iranian fast boats from the IRGC also tried to stop a U.S.-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.
“I am concerned that Iran and the IRGC risked such an aggressive exchange yesterday with American lives onboard. The actions of this terrorist regime are out of control,” Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) posted on X. “I commend the professionalism, strength, and readiness of our Navy as they repelled these attacks. Tehran should think carefully about the consequences of testing President Trump like this.”
IRANIAN DRONE FLYING ‘AGGRESSIVELY’ SHOT DOWN BY US F-35 IN ARABIAN SEA
Good Thursday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Christopher Tremoglie. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email and we’ll add you to our list. And be sure to follow me on Threads and/or on X @jamiejmcintyre.
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NOTE TO READERS: Daily of Defense will not publish Monday, February 16 as we observe the Presidents Day federal holiday and recover from Sunday night’s Super Bowl festivities.
HAPPENING TODAY: US-UKRAINE-RUSSIA TALKS RESUME: Despite recent hopeful statements from President Trump, there is little optimism that much will come from the second day of U.S.-brokered talks between Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi as the war approaches the four-year mark.
In separate interviews — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with France TV and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov with Russia’s RT network — both sides seem to be talking past each other.
In his interview, Zelensky repeated his firm opposition to giving in to Russia’s key territorial demand, withdrawing his forces from the eastern parts of the country that Putin wants but can’t seem to capture.
“Russia wants us to abandon the entire Donbas. Why? Because since they started this war, they haven’t achieved a single definitive victory. We Ukrainians understand perfectly well the price the Russian army pays for every meter and kilometer of this land. They don’t count their dead; we are forced to,” Zelensky told French TV channel France 2. “To capture the East of Ukraine, it would cost them another 800,000 lives — the corpses of their own soldiers. It would take them at least two years of very slow advancement. In my opinion, they won’t last that long.”
In the interview, Zelensky gave a rare update on how many Ukrainian soldiers have died in the war so far, putting the official number at 55,000 dead, with “a large number of people whom Ukraine considers missing.” In early 2025, he said 46,000 Ukrainian troops had been killed.
LAVROV: ZELENSKY THINKS ONLY ABOUT ‘HIS OWN SURVIVAL’: In his interview with state-controlled RT, Lavrov dismissed Zelensky as not serious about wanting peace and caring only about his political future.
Lavrov told RT’s Rick Sanchez, a former CNN anchor, that any peace agreement would end Zelensky’s political career. “I think conscience and Zelensky don’t go together well. He thinks about nothing, I think, except his own survival,” Lavrov said. Zelensky has said he hopes to step down as president once the war is over.
Lavrov also took issue with remarks NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte made to Ukraine’s parliament on Wednesday in which he confirmed that European troops will be deployed to Ukraine after a peace deal is reached. “Troops on the ground, jets in the air, ships on the Black Sea. The United States will be the backstop,” Rutte said.
Lavrov said Western troops sent to Ukraine would be legitimate targets for strikes, and said plans for NATO troops as part of a security force would be an unacceptable provocation that could lead to a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO. “I don’t know what our delegation in Abu Dhabi will be offered,” Lavrov said, “I think this is just another reason to believe that Zelensky needs no peace.”
TRUMP AND XI TALK BY PHONE: “I have just completed an excellent telephone conversation with President Xi, of China. It was a long and thorough call, where many important subjects were discussed, including Trade, Military, the April trip that I will be making to China (which I very much look forward to!),” President Trump posted on Truth Social yesterday. “The relationship with China, and my personal relationship with President Xi, is an extremely good one, and we both realize how important it is to keep it that way.”
“I attach great importance to this relationship,” Xi told Trump, according to a readout from China’s Foreign Ministry. “In the new year, I hope to work with you to steer the giant ship of China-U.S. relations steadily forward through winds and storms, and accomplish more big things and good things.” But, Xi added, “Just as the U.S. has its concerns, China for its part also has concerns.”
While Trump mentioned Taiwan only in passing as one of many topics discussed, Xi made a point of restating his position that Taiwan is part of China and that the “Taiwan question” is the most important issue in China-U.S. relations.
“Taiwan is China’s territory. China must safeguard its own sovereignty and territorial integrity, and will never allow Taiwan to be separated. The U.S. must handle the issue of arms sales to Taiwan with prudence,” the summary of the call provided by Beijing said.
Trump told NBC he thought the economic issues he discussed with Xi during the hourlong call were the most important. “They’re paying a lot of tariffs, as you know. China’s paying a lot of tariffs. In the past, they didn’t. I’m the one that put tariffs on China. I put tariffs on a lotta — tariffs are, just so you understand, making our country rich.”
PUTIN AND TRUMP PLAN DUELING VISITS TO CHINA IN BATTLE TO GAIN XI’S FAVOR
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: US-Russia nuclear treaty to expire as attention turns to China’s expanding arsenal
Washington Examiner: Vance warns Saudi Arabia will nuclearize if Iran allowed to obtain nuclear weapons
Washington Examiner: DHS pulls 700 federal officers from Minnesota after ‘unprecedented cooperation’ with state: Homan
Washington Examiner: Putin and Trump plan dueling visits to China in battle to gain Xi’s favor
Washington Examiner: ‘Softer touch’: Trump takes credit for ordering 700 immigration agents out of Minnesota
Washington Examiner: Man accused of murdering National Guard member in DC pleads not guilty
Washington Examiner: Tories skewer Starmer as PM claims Mandelson ‘completely misrepresented’ extent of Epstein relationship
Washington Examiner: House passes bill to fast-track domestic mining of critical minerals
Washington Examiner: US seeks trading bloc to counter China grip on critical minerals, Vance says
Wall Street Journal: The American and Chinese Economies Are Hurtling Toward a Messy Divorce
New York Times: Trump Says His Unpredictable Style Gives Him Leverage. But It Has a Cost.
Washington Post: As the West goes after Russia’s oil fleet, Moscow fears for its war funding
AP: Israel Strikes Across Gaza, Killing 24, and Says Militants Attacked Its Soldiers
Breaking Defense: HASC chair seeking $450B for defense in reconciliation
Bloomberg: RTX Set to Boost Missile Production After Taking a Trump Beating
Defense News: US Air Force Tests New, Rapidly Developed Cruise Missile
Air & Space Forces Magazine: New Report: Air Force Needs 200 B-21s, 300 F-47s to Deny Enemy ‘Sanctuaries’
The Hill: F-35s Caught in Trade Crossfire Between US and Canada
The War Zone: Navy’s T-45 Replacement Will Not Be Capable of Making Carrier Landing Touch and Goes
Breaking Defense: Airbus, Singapore Gains Certification for A330 MRTT Automatic Air-to-Air Refueling
DefenseScoop: DIU Looks to Prototype Affordable Fire-Control Sensors for Enhanced Missile Defense
Air & Space Forces Magazine: With New START Set to Expire, Experts Foresee a ‘New Era’ of Nuclear Policy
Air & Space Forces Magazine: USAF to Security Forces Airmen: Sharpen Up Your Greetings
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Aims to Build ‘Airmindedness’ at New BMT
Military.com: ‘High Stress, High Stakes’: Behind-The-Scenes Look at Super Bowl Flyover
THE CALENDAR:
THURSDAY | FEBRUARY 5
9 a.m. — Atlantic Council virtual discussion: “A New Strategic Reality for the Transatlantic Relationship,” with former Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky, vice chair, Atlantic Council Center for Strategy and Security; former U.S. Ambassador to Poland Daniel Fried, Atlantic Council fellow; Paul McCarthy, senior research fellow for European affairs at the Heritage Foundation Center for Freedom; and former U.S. Ambassador to Romania Adrian Zuckerman, chairman of the board of Alianta https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/central-europe-week-2026
9:30 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Trump’s National Defense Strategy and Asia,” with former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities Mara Karlin, professor of practice at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies; Gordon Lubold, NBC News national security reporter; Victor Cha, CSIS Korea chair; and Mark Lippert, CSIS nonresident senior adviser https://www.csis.org/events/trumps-national-defense-strategy-and-asia-capital-cable-128
10:30 a.m. — Atlantic Council virtual discussion: “The Shattered Axis: Venezuela, Iran, and the Future of the China-Russia Alliance,” as part of “Central Europe Week 2026: Facing a New Strategic Reality,” with Kaush Arha, president of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific Forum, James Carafano, Heritage Foundation fellow; and Ian Brzezinski, Atlantic Council senior fellow https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/central-europe-week-2026
1 p.m. — Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies virtual discussion: “Military Law in Practice: Perspectives from Former General Counsels,” with Paul Ney, national security lawyer at the Executive Office of the President and former general counsel of the Defense Department; Robert Sander, founding partner, Sander Group, PLLC, former general counsel of the Navy Department, former acting general counsel of the Army; and Army Col. Toby Curto https://fedsoc.org/events/military-law-in-practice
1:30 p.m. 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace discussion: “Bluff or Death? How to Assess Nuclear Threats,” with Jon Finer, senior fellow, Yale Law School Leadership Program; and George Perkovich, CEIP senior fellow https://carnegieendowment.org/events/2026/01/bluff-or-death
4 p.m. 37th and O Sts. NW — Georgetown University School of Foreign Service Security Studies Program book discussion: Bend But Do Not Break: Shaping the Future of the All-Volunteer Force, with editor Jaron Wharton; editor Katherine Kuzminski, professor at the Security Studies Program; Max Margulies, non-resident affiliate at Georgetown Center for Security Studies; and editor Jason Dempsey https://events.georgetown.edu/sfs/event/36506-bend-but-do-not-break
6: 30 p.m. — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace virtual discussion: “The Future of Nuclear Proliferation,” with former Deputy NATO Secretary-General Rose Gottemoeller, nonresident senior fellow, CEIP Nuclear Policy Program; Scott Sagan, co-director of Stanford University Center for International Security and Cooperation; Toby Dalton, co-director, CEIP Nuclear Policy Program; and Mariano-Florentino Cuellar, CEIP president https://carnegieendowment.org/events/2026/01/the-future-of-nuclear-proliferation
FRIDAY | FEBRUARY 6
11 a.m. 1400 L St. NW — Atlantic Council discussion: “How Moscow Manufactured the Myth of Putin Inevitable Victory,” with Ruslan Stefanchuk, chairman, Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada; Julia Davis, founder, Russian Media Monitor; retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula, dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies; and Casey Michel, director, Human Rights Foundation Combating Kleptocracy Program https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/how-moscow-manufactured-the-myth
TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 10
10 a.m. 310 Cannon — House Homeland Security Committee hearing: “Oversight of the Department of Homeland Security: ICE, CBP, and USCIS,” with testimony from Todd Lyons, senior official performing the duties of the director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Rodney Scott, commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection; and Joseph Edlow, director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services http://homeland.house.gov
WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 11
3 p.m. 222 Russell — Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee hearing: “Senior Enlisted Leaders on Servicemember and Family Quality of Life,” with testimony from Fleet Master Chief David Isom, senior enlisted adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Weimer; Master Chief Petty Officer John Perryman; Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps Carlos Ruiz; Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Wolfe; and Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John Bentivegna http://www.armed-services.senate.gov
THURSDAY | FEBRUARY 12
Brussels, Belgium — United Kingdom and Germany convene the Ukraine Defence Contact Group meet at NATO Headquarters, followed by a meeting of NATO defense ministers https://www.nato.int/en/news-and-events/events/media-advisories
FRIDAY | FEBRUARY 13
Munich, Germany — The 62nd Munich Security Conference at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof and Rosewood Munich, with nearly 50 heads of state and government attending. The conference runs through Sunday, February 15 https://securityconference.org/en/msc-2026/
