Smoke columns seen over residential areas in Tehran and Shiraz

Locals reported explosions on Wednesday (February 18) in Tehran and Shiraz, with social media footage showing plumes of smoke rising from the affected areas. In Tehran, smoke was seen near a residential neighbourhood in Parand, located in Tehran Province. Iran’s state broadcaster, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), said the fire was caused by arsonists who set fire to dried reeds along nearby riverbanks. In Shiraz, reports suggested an explosion in a mountainous area on the outskirts of the city. Authorities have not yet clarified the cause of that incident.

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US-Iran war soon?

A new Axios report suggests the Trump administration may be closer to initiating a significant military confrontation with Iran than many Americans realize, and that such action could start imminently. According to the sources cited, any US strike on Iran is expected to go well beyond a narrow, short-lived attack, instead resembling a prolonged, multi-week military campaign rather than a limited operation like the recent one in Venezuela.

Officials familiar with the discussions told Axios that any such campaign would likely be coordinated closely with Israel, and could be broader and more threatening to Iran’s leadership than last June’s 12-day conflict, in which the US later joined Israeli attacks on Iran’s underground nuclear facilities. The report warns that a confrontation of this scale would have wide-ranging implications across the Middle East and significantly shape the remainder of President Trump’s time in office. Despite the potential consequences, the coverage notes that public debate and Congressional focus have so far been limited.

The report says that advisers to Donald Trump, Jared Kushner, and Steve Witkoff held a three-hour meeting in Geneva on Tuesday with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Although both parties publicly described the talks as constructive, US officials are said to remain doubtful that the fundamental disagreements can be overcome. In an interview cited by the report, Vice President JD Vance acknowledged some positive aspects of the discussions but emphasized that Iran has not agreed to the president’s central demands. He added that Trump may determine diplomacy has reached its limit if momentum falters.