United States in February 2026: the most important developments in security
In the United States in February 2026, the main security development was the military buildup against Iran, which ended in strikes. On 3 February a U.S. fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone approaching an aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea. Indirect talks between the two countries ran alongside the buildup. On 13 February the United States sent a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East, reports spoke of possible weeks-long operations, and U.S. forces boarded a tanker linked to Iran in the Indian Ocean. Iran temporarily closed the Strait of Hormuz for exercises on 17 February and warned that U.S. bases would be legitimate targets. On 28 February the United States and Israel struck Iran; Iran fired missiles at U.S. bases in the Gulf and at locations in Israel, and supreme leader Ali Khamenei was reportedly killed. Separately, on 3 February French investigators searched X's Paris office and summoned its owner, Elon Musk, to a hearing in April.
A federal immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota drew protests and criticism. The administration withdrew about 700 agents on 4 February, and on 12 February border chief Tom Homan announced the end of the operation. A five-year-old boy detained in Texas was released by court order and returned home to Minnesota. Authorities opened an investigation into whether ICE officers lied about a shooting in Minneapolis, and several agents were placed on leave.
The New START treaty expired on 5 February, leaving no limits on the U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals for the first time in decades. President Donald Trump said a new and better treaty was needed, and Russia said it was ready for talks. The United States also accused China of secretly conducting nuclear tests, which Beijing called "outright lies".
On 22 February the Secret Service shot dead an armed man who breached the perimeter of Mar-a-Lago. A military test of a counter-drone laser closed airspace around El Paso, Texas, and the laser later shot down a Customs and Border Protection drone by accident. U.S. strikes on boats suspected of drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific killed several people.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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