According to an Iran International English report of Thursday 19 of February 2026, a prominent United States (US) lawmaker, SenatorTed Cruz, has said that Iranian Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, has only one viable course of action left, dismissing the possibility of a nuclear agreement between Tehran and Washington. He also argued that the Iranian leadership is seeking time, rather than compromise.
Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Cruz said that the current moment reflects deep internal weakness in Iran’s leadership, and questioned whether US negotiators should engage further. He portrayed the Iranian government as attempting to delay pressure, rather than accept meaningful limits on its nuclear activities.
“His regime is in tatters. He wants time to rebuild. I don’t think President Trump is going to fall for that. I think the only deal the ayatollah can make is to say, I’m out of here. Let me leave. Let me go to Russia. Let me go to somewhere else other than here,” Cruz said in the interview.
The senator’s comments came as officials from Iran and the US concluded another round of discussions in Geneva on Tuesday. While both sides described the talks as continuing, Cruz expressed skepticism that any agreement could be reached, particularly on the core issue of inspections and verification.
“I believe there is no deal to be had in terms of the nuclear programme,” Cruz said, adding that Iran had never agreed to “any place, anywhere, any time” inspections.
Cruz argued that without unrestricted access for international inspectors, any agreement would fail to address concerns about Iran’s nuclear intentions. He said that previous efforts to reach understandings with Tehran had not produced lasting results, and warned against what he described as concessions that would leave key questions unresolved.
Turning to military options, Cruz said that President Donald Trump remained focused on protecting US national security but would not pursue a large-scale ground war. He ruled out the deployment of massive numbers of American troops, suggesting that such an approach was neither necessary, nor under consideration.
“In the next six months, we will see the regimes fall in Iran, in Venezuela and in Cuba. And we could also see governments replace them that want to be friends with the United States of America.”…..See More
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