What does the U.S. want out of its negotiations with Iran?

WBUR | By Here & Now Newsroom

Published February 16, 2026 at 12:06 PM EST

The U.S. military is reportedly preparing for the possibility of sustained military operations against Iran as negotiators meet over Tehran’s nuclear program.

Here & Now‘s Tiziana Dearing speaks with Jim Walsh from Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s security studies program about why a military buildup continues to happen around Iran and what it would take for tensions to de-escalate.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

NPR News

Here & Now Newsroom

Support nonprofit, fact-based public service journalism

WEKU depends on support from those who view and listen to our content. There's no paywall here. Please support WEKU with your donation.

Contribute now

Related Content

Presidential photos and campaign buttons of the past live on as collectibles

Buffy Gorrilla

In honor of Presidents' Day, we visit with the folks who collect presidential memorabilia — from pictures of presidential dogs to many many campaign buttons, to deep dives on just one president.
When the Olympic record is your age! Meet 54-year-old Minnesotan Rich Ruohonen

Scott Detrow, Jason Fuller, Justine Kenin

NPR's Scott Detrow speaks with the 54-year-old curler, Rich Ruohonen, the oldest American Winter Olympian to ever compete
NPR News

Two U.S. moms in their 40s rocketed to gold and bronze in Olympic bobsled showdown

Brian Mann

American sliders Elana Meyers Taylor, 41, and Kaillie Humphreys, 40, secure gold and bronze medals. Meyers-Taylor built on her record as the Black athlete with the most Winter Olympics medals.
Minnesota Democrats blame state Republicans for helping bring on the federal surge

Dana Ferguson

Republicans in the state legislature invited Nick Shirley to the state where he made misleading videos about immigrant fraud and that helped push Minnesota into the ICE surge.
Extremist rhetoric is often found in government messaging. Who's the target?

Odette Yousef

In a rare move, the White House took down a racist post last week from one of President Trump's social media accounts. But extremism researchers say it fits a pattern of mainstreaming extremist ideas.