EconoTicker

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called him shortly before the outbreak of the “12-day war” and Israel’s strikes on Iranian officials, urging him to pass on a blunt warning to Tehran: “Tell the Iranians… anything can happen in the next few hours.”

Speaking in a CNN Türk interview on Monday (20 Bahman / Feb 9), Fidan argued that while he does not view a U.S.–Iran war as imminent, talks and negotiations do not eliminate the risk of military escalation—especially in a region where miscalculation can rapidly widen conflict.

Indonesia’s army has begun training engineering and medical units as Jakarta weighs deploying 5,000–8,000 troops to Gaza as part of a proposed international stabilization/peacekeeping force linked to Trump’s Middle East plan, according to reports citing Army Chief of Staff Gen. Maruli Simanjuntak.

Officials stressed that the mandate, timing, and deployment zones are still being negotiated, with the mission framed as humanitarian support and reconstruction rather than frontline combat.

Iran’s National Security Council secretary Ali Larijani met Mohammad Abdulsalam, the Houthis’ spokesperson, during a visit to Muscat, Oman, according to Iran’s Mehr News Agency.

The meeting comes as Oman continues to mediate indirect U.S.–Iran talks aimed at preventing a wider escalation. Iran’s Foreign Ministry has described the latest round as a test of Washington’s “seriousness,” with follow-on diplomacy expected.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he has invited several European leaders to resume dialogue with Russia, arguing Europe should prepare its own channel with Moscow and rebuild relations over time.

The Kremlin confirmed it has “noted” Macron’s remarks and has previously framed renewed European talk of dialogue as a potentially positive shift—while emphasizing that any serious settlement would need to address broader European security questions.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance met President Ilham Aliyev in Baku and signed a new “Charter on Strategic Partnership” between the two governments, signaling deeper cooperation on security and the economy. Aliyev said the relationship is entering “an entirely new phase,” pointing to collaboration on defense sales and artificial intelligence, alongside continued work on energy security and counterterrorism.

According to Reuters, Vance said the U.S. will provide Azerbaijan an unspecified number of vessels/boats to help protect its territorial waters, and emphasized Washington’s support for the TRIPP corridor (a proposed route across Armenia intended to connect Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave and onward to Türkiye), framed as part of a wider push to strengthen connectivity and reduce reliance on Russia-linked routes.

In a lighter aside during the appearance, a transcript circulated from the event quotes Vance joking that Aliyev’s ability to maintain good relations with both “the Turks and the Israelis” must mean “the food must be really good… or he must be really charming.”

Russia’s ambassador to Israel, Anatoly Viktorov, was cited as saying Moscow “appreciates” the shift into phase two of President Trump’s Gaza plan—while arguing that attracting major investors will require “the necessary conditions” on the ground.

Phase two has been framed by U.S. officials and coverage as a pivot from ceasefire mechanics toward demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction—alongside an international “Board of Peace” structure meant to coordinate portfolios including investment attraction and capital mobilization.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed for Washington ahead of a high-stakes meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, saying the Iran negotiations will be the top priority of the visit. Netanyahu said he will present Israel’s “vision/principles” for the negotiations to Trump.

According to Israeli and U.S. reporting, Israel wants any U.S.–Iran deal to go beyond the nuclear file—seeking an end to uranium enrichment, limits on ballistic missiles, and a halt to support for Iran-backed militant groups across the region.

The trip comes as U.S.–Iran talks resumed via indirect discussions in Oman, with Washington weighing whether to broaden already difficult negotiations.

Public flight-tracking data indicates a Russian-registered Embraer Legacy 600 operating as Dexter Air Taxi flight DXT9686 flew Moscow (Vnukovo/VKO) → Bushehr (BUZ) on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, departing around 17:15 MSK and landing around 21:55 local time in Bushehr.

The operator/callsign and aircraft type suggest a non-scheduled (charter/special) movement rather than a routine commercial service. Some observers have speculated the timing could relate to Russian activity around the Bushehr nuclear power plant, but there is no official confirmation publicly tied to the flight’s purpose.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moved up his Washington trip so he can personally hand President Donald Trump an Israeli intelligence and security assessment on Iran, aiming to ensure Trump “receives all the information accurately,” according to an unnamed source close to Netanyahu.

The report says Netanyahu plans to provide the same briefing he gave last week to U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff. Topics expected to be discussed include Iran’s nuclear and ballistic-missile programs, Tehran’s support for regional proxy groups, and Iran’s crackdown on protesters.

Netanyahu’s meeting with Trump is scheduled for Wednesday, February 11, 2026, after being brought forward from a later date amid renewed U.S.–Iran engagement.

Defense-watch outlets reported Vermont Air National Guard F-35A jets were seen landing at Lajes Field (Azores, Portugal) in late January, a well-known mid-Atlantic stopover for U.S. military aircraft moving toward Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

The final destination of the aircraft has not been officially confirmed. Reporting has framed the movement as part of a wider U.S. repositioning of air assets while Washington keeps both diplomatic and military options in view amid renewed tensions with Tehran.

In an interview circulated by RT host Rick Sanchez, former IRGC commander Hossein Kanaani-Moghadam claimed Iran has “solid intelligence” that Saudi Arabia possesses a nuclear bomb and that the U.S. and Israel are aware—alleging the information comes from sources including Yemenis working at Saudi nuclear sites.

There is no publicly verified evidence supporting the claim. Independent nonproliferation profiles generally state that Saudi Arabia is not known to have nuclear weapons, even as Riyadh’s civil nuclear ambitions and potential “hedging” have been debated for years.

The allegation lands amid renewed scrutiny of any U.S.–Saudi nuclear cooperation: U.S. lawmakers and experts have pushed for strict non-proliferation safeguards in any civilian nuclear deal to avoid triggering a regional arms race.

Sen. Lindsey Graham pushed back after Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan argued there was no imminent U.S.–Iran war and warned against military intervention, stressing Ankara’s priority is avoiding destabilization in Iran and the region.

In a post on X, Graham said it is “unrealistic” to think the Islamic Republic can remain in power after the scale of nationwide protests, framing regime durability as the wrong assumption for policymakers.