Morning Briefing: Feb. 26, 2026

By Gizem Nisa Demir

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Thursday, including Iran pushing back against US and Israeli claims about its nuclear and missile programs, Cuban authorities naming several individuals they said were involved in a “foiled armed infiltration” attempt with a Florida-registered speedboat intercepted off the country’s northern coast, and preparations for Ukraine-US talks in Geneva following a call between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

TOP STORIES

• Iran dismisses US, Israeli 'disinformation' about its nuclear, ballistic missiles as 'repetition of big lies'

Iran criticized the US and Israel for spreading "disinformation" about its nuclear program and ballistic missiles, describing it as "the repetition of big lies."

"'Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth,' is a law of propaganda coined by Nazi Joseph Goebbels. This is now systematically used by the U.S. administration and the war profiteers encircling it, particularly the genocidal Israeli regime, to serve their sinister disinformation & misinformation campaign against the Nation of Iran," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on the US social media company X’s platform.

"Whatever they're alleging in regards to Iran's nuclear program, Iran's ballistic missiles, and the number of casualties during January's unrest is simply the repetition of 'big lies,'" Baghaei asserted.

• Cuba names suspects in 'foiled armed infiltration' involving US-registered boat

Cuban authorities named several individuals they said were involved in a “foiled armed infiltration” attempt with a Florida-registered speedboat intercepted off the country’s northern coast.

“Authorities have confirmed that the intercepted speedboat, registered in the State of Florida under number FL7726SH, was carrying 10 armed individuals who, according to preliminary statements by those detained, intended to carry out an infiltration for terrorist purposes,” the Interior Ministry said in a post on the US social media company X’s platform hours after the incident.

• Zelenskyy, Trump discuss issues to be addressed during Ukraine-US talks in Geneva

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he spoke by phone with his US counterpart Donald Trump about issues to be addressed during bilateral talks Thursday in Switzerland.

In a statement on the US social media company X’s platform following the call, in which he said US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner took part, Zelenskyy said they also discussed preparing for the next trilateral peace talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US “at the very beginning of March.”

“We expect this meeting to create an opportunity to move talks to the leaders’ level. President Trump supports this sequence of steps. This is the only way to resolve all the complex and sensitive issues and finally end the war,” he said.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• A Turkish F-16 fighter jet crashed in western Balikesir province, killing the pilot, the National Defense Ministry said.
• Cuba’s Interior Ministry reported an armed attack carried out by the crew of a boat licensed in the US state of Florida.
• Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said his office has launched an investigation into a maritime incident involving Cuba.
• The Netherlands' flag carrier KLM announced it will suspend flights to Tel Aviv from Sunday, March 1, until further notice, according to local media reports.
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that Iran’s refusal to discuss its ballistic missile program poses “a big problem.”
• US Vice President JD Vance said that Iran will not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon, emphasizing that diplomacy remains the Trump administration’s preferred path but warning that other options remain on the table.
• Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has decided to summon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to provide testimony in an investigation into the alleged leaking of classified documents, according to local media reports.
• More than 65,000 Jewish activists entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem during 2025, marking a 22% increase compared with the previous year, according to a report.
• A bomb disposal team affiliated with the Syrian army successfully neutralized a car bomb in Aleppo, according to the Syrian Defense Ministry.
• Dozens of Israeli military vehicles staged a new incursion into Quneitra province in southwestern Syria in the latest violation of the Arab country’s sovereignty.
• Venezuela's Attorney General Tarek William Saab and Ombudsman Alfredo Ruiz submitted their resignations to the National Assembly, its president announced.
• Iceland's Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir announced that a national referendum on whether to resume membership negotiations with the European Union will be held in the coming months.
• Algeria’s presidency confirmed that Pope Leo XIV will pay an official visit to the country in April, marking the first visit by the pontiff to the North African nation.
• Former Harvard University President Larry Summers is set to leave the university at the end of the academic year following revelations of his ties to the late convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, the Harvard Crimson reported.
• US President Donald Trump demanded the rapid deportation of two female Muslim members of Congress after Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar tried to shout him down during his State of the Union address.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Global debt hits record high of $348T in 2025

Global debt surged by nearly $29 trillion in 2025, reaching a record high of $348.3 trillion, according to the latest Global Debt Monitor report released by the Institute of International Finance (IIF).

The institute said the pace of global debt accumulation accelerated sharply last year, marking the fastest increase since the pandemic period.

Roughly two-thirds of the rise in global debt stemmed from advanced economies, driven largely by higher fiscal deficit spending. Debt levels in both advanced and emerging markets climbed to new peaks, highlighting the broad-based nature of the buildup.

• EU, UK sign landmark competition cooperation agreement

The European Commission and the UK signed a competition cooperation agreement, establishing a framework for collaboration on competition matters between EU authorities and the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority.

This marks the first agreement focused solely on competition since the UK left the EU, according to a statement by the commission.

It sets out clear principles for cooperation, including notifying each other of major antitrust and merger investigations and coordinating efforts when necessary.