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Iran's President Says Khamenei Doesn't Want Nukes

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, February 21, 2026. Iran's Presidential website/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, February 21, 2026. Iran's Presidential website/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
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Iran's President Says Khamenei Doesn't Want Nukes

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, February 21, 2026. Iran's Presidential website/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, February 21, 2026. Iran's Presidential website/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS

President Masoud Pezeshkian said Thursday that Iran will not have nuclear weapons because Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has stressed the country does not plan to pursue such weapons.

“The religious leader of a society can’t lie,” Pezeshkian said on state television in Sari, northern Iran, as the third round of nuclear negotiations with the US took place in Geneva.

“When he announces that we won’t have nuclear weapons, it means we won’t. Even if I want to do that, I can’t, because of my beliefs."

In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump accused Iran of "pursuing sinister nuclear ambitions," though Tehran has always insisted its program is for civilian purposes.

Trump also claimed Tehran had "already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they're working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America.”

Thursday's Geneva talks mediated by Oman follow a massive US military build-up in the region not seen in decades, with Trump threatening to strike Iran if a deal is not reached.

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World

World Economic Forum Head Steps Down Over Epstein Links

FILED - 21 January 2025, Switzerland, Davos: World Economic Forum president and CEO Borge Brende speaks during the Uncertain Times session at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting. Photo: Faruk Pinjo/World Economic Forum/dpa
FILED - 21 January 2025, Switzerland, Davos: World Economic Forum president and CEO Borge Brende speaks during the Uncertain Times session at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting. Photo: Faruk Pinjo/World Economic Forum/dpa
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World Economic Forum Head Steps Down Over Epstein Links

FILED - 21 January 2025, Switzerland, Davos: World Economic Forum president and CEO Borge Brende speaks during the Uncertain Times session at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting. Photo: Faruk Pinjo/World Economic Forum/dpa
FILED - 21 January 2025, Switzerland, Davos: World Economic Forum president and CEO Borge Brende speaks during the Uncertain Times session at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting. Photo: Faruk Pinjo/World Economic Forum/dpa

World Economic Forum head Børge Brende said Thursday that he is stepping down after facing pressure over his contacts with the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Brende, a former Norwegian foreign minister, said in a statement that he had decided “after careful consideration” to step down as president and chief executive of the forum, known for its annual January summit in the Swiss Alpine resort of Davos.

“I am grateful for the incredible collaboration with my colleagues, partners, and constituents, and I believe now is the right moment for the Forum to continue its important work without distractions,” Brende said in a statement released by the WEF.

The US Justice Department has released more than 3 million pages of documents relating to Epstein, who died by suicide in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.

Brende was Norway’s foreign minister from 2013-2017 and is one of several prominent Norwegians who have faced scrutiny following the latest release of Epstein files.

He didn't refer directly to that controversy in Thursday's statement, but the WEF announced earlier this month that it was opening an internal review into Brende to determine his relationship with Epstein after files indicated the two had dined together several times and exchanged messages.

Brende told Norwegian broadcaster NRK at the time that he was cooperating with the investigation, that he only met Epstein in business settings and that he had been unaware of Epstein’s criminal background.

WEF co-chairs André Hoffmann and Larry Fink said in a statement that “the independent review conducted by outside counsel has concluded. The findings stated that there were no additional concerns beyond what has been previously disclosed.”

They said that Alois Zwinggi will serve as the forum's interim president and CEO, and the forum's Board of Trustees would oversee the leadership transition, including a plan to identify a permanent successor.

Brende's resignation follows the departure last year of the WEF's founder and longstanding chair Klaus Schwab after he came under pressure from a whistleblower alleging misconduct.

The WEF subsequently said an internal investigation had found no evidence of material wrongdoing by Schwab.

World

US Moves to Cut Off Swiss Bank from Financial System over Alleged Iran, Russia Links

FILE PHOTO: A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
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US Moves to Cut Off Swiss Bank from Financial System over Alleged Iran, Russia Links

FILE PHOTO: A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

The US Treasury Department proposed a rule on Thursday that, if finalized, would sever MBaer Merchant Bank AG's access to the US financial system on the grounds the Swiss bank had supported illicit actors linked to Iran and Russia.

The Treasury alleged MBaer and its employees had facilitated corruption linked to Venezuelan and Russian money laundering as well as money laundering and terrorist ⁠financing on behalf ⁠of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Quds Force, which are under sanctions from the US.

"MBaer has funneled over a hundred million dollars through the US financial system on behalf of illicit actors tied to Iran and ⁠Russia," Reuters quoted Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as saying in a statement. "Banks should be on notice that the US Treasury will aggressively protect the integrity of the US financial system using the full force of our authorities."

The Treasury said that if finalized, the proposed rule would prohibit covered US financial institutions from opening or maintaining a correspondent account for, or on behalf of, MBaer. The Treasury's Financial ⁠Crimes ⁠Enforcement Network anti-money laundering bureau published a notice of proposed rulemaking that invites written comments for 30 days on the plan to cut off the small Swiss private bank from the US dollar-based financial system.

FinCEN said in the notice that for years, MBaer "has directly or indirectly facilitated money laundering for or on behalf of illicit actors, including through processing transactions related to Venezuelan corruption and Russian and Iranian illicit activities."

World

Cuba Vows to Defend Itself Against 'Terrorist and Mercenary Aggression'

(FILES) Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel delivers a speech during the closing of the IV Conference "Nation and Emigration" at the Convention Palace in Havana on November 19, 2023. (Photo by YAMIL LAGE / AFP)
(FILES) Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel delivers a speech during the closing of the IV Conference "Nation and Emigration" at the Convention Palace in Havana on November 19, 2023. (Photo by YAMIL LAGE / AFP)
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Cuba Vows to Defend Itself Against 'Terrorist and Mercenary Aggression'

(FILES) Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel delivers a speech during the closing of the IV Conference "Nation and Emigration" at the Convention Palace in Havana on November 19, 2023. (Photo by YAMIL LAGE / AFP)
(FILES) Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel delivers a speech during the closing of the IV Conference "Nation and Emigration" at the Convention Palace in Havana on November 19, 2023. (Photo by YAMIL LAGE / AFP)

President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Thursday that Cuba will defend itself against "terrorist and mercenary aggression," a day after Havana said it had killed four exiles aboard a Florida-registered speedboat that entered Cuban waters and opened fire on a patrol.

The Cuban government said the people on the speedboat in Wednesday's incident were anti-government Cubans, some of whom were previously wanted for plotting attacks. Six people on the speedboat were wounded, Cuba says.

"Cuba ⁠does not attack ⁠nor threaten," Diaz-Canel wrote on X. "We have stated this on repeated occasions and reaffirm it today: Cuba will defend itself with determination and firmness."

The incident took place at a time of heightened tensions with the United States, which has ⁠blocked oil shipments to the island to pressure the Communist-run government, after capturing and jailing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, an ally of Cuba.

A man fishes in Havana Bay across from the Nico Lopez oil refinery, in Havana, Cuba February 25, 2026. REUTERS/Norlys Perez

The fuel shortages have hit transport and worsened power cuts on the Caribbean's largest island, where the electricity grid relies on imported oil.

Venezuela had been Cuba's top oil supplier, but has not sent shipments since December, Reuters reported.

The UN has warned of a humanitarian crisis if Cuba's energy ⁠needs are ⁠not met.

On Thursday, Russia - one of Cuba's last oil suppliers, though it has not given a date for its next shipment - called for restraint and called the incident an "aggressive provocation by the United States".

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said his government was going to independently investigate the incident.

"We're still gathering facts," he told reporters. "We don't generally make decisions in the United States on the basis of what Cuban authorities are saying."