Iran rejects Trump’s missile claims; Cuba intercepts U.S. “terrorist” speedboat, killing 4; Vance withholds Minnesota Medicaid funds

Drop Site Daily: February 26, 2026

Israeli fire kills three in Gaza and wounds several. Gaza firm to build Emirati compound in Israeli-occupied south. Palestinian resistance official says President Donald Trump’s BoP framework is political theater, affirms steadfastness is the only option left. U.S.-Iran nuclear talks resume in Geneva. Iran foreign minister rejects Trump missile claims, says “fair” deal still achievable. Iran’s nuclear program remains paused, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio claims Iran wants to restart it. Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi discusses alliances. DCCC drew millions from Palantir-linked lobbyists, new report finds. Anthropic drops flagship AI safety pledge. Vice President JD Vance announces temporary halt of some Medicaid funds to Minnesota. Rohingya refugee found dead after Border Patrol release in Buffalo. Larry Summers to relinquish Harvard professorship amid Epstein fallout. Cuba claims it thwarted “terrorist” speedboat registered in the U.S. U.S. Treasury signals limited authorization for Venezuelan oil resales to Cuba. Clashes in Syria’s Latakia province kill four. Hezbollah signals it would stay out of limited U.S. strikes on Iran. RSF targeted people with disabilities in El Fasher, HRW alleges. UN sanctions committee adds four senior RSF leaders to blacklist. 34 militants killed in Pakistani raids, government says. Air strike in Myanmar’s Rakhine state kills at least 17 civilians. 25 killed in raids in northeast Nigeria. Congo launches drone strikes on rebel-held Rubaya mine. Ukrainian drone strike hits fertiliser plant in Russia’s Smolensk.

This is Drop Site Daily, our free daily news recap. We send it Monday through Friday.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff (C) and Jared Kushner hold a meeting with Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi (R) in Geneva, on February 26. (Photo by Omani Foreign Ministry / AFP via Getty Images)

The Gaza Genocide, West Bank, and Israel

• Israeli fire kills three and wounds several in Gaza: Two Palestinians were killed and several others injured on Thursday when Israeli aircraft struck the Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City, according to WAFA. On Wednesday evening, several people were wounded when the Israeli navy fired toward the shore of Al-Shati refugee camp. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital reported one person killed and others injured in a separate strike east of Deir al-Balah. These Israeli violations come as heavy rains have damaged tents sheltering displaced Palestinian families in areas such as Al-Mawasi, Khan Younis, worsening already dire humanitarian conditions.

• Gaza firm to build Emirati compound in Israeli-occupied south: A Gaza-based contractor was selected to build an Emirati-funded compound for tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians in a southern area of Gaza under Israeli military control, according to Reuters. The firm, Masoud & Ali Contracting Co., will reportedly partner with two Egyptian companies on a 74-acre project near Rafah featuring multi-story prefabricated units, in what diplomats have dubbed “Emirates City,” though no formal announcement has been made and the Israelis have not yet signaled their approval for the compound. The United Arab Emirates has pledged $1.2 billion for President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace,” and a U.S. official previously said Abu Dhabi was coordinating with Washington, the Board and the Palestinian technocratic committee on the project. Leaked documents from the U.S.-led Civil-Military Coordination Center obtained by Drop Site last month outlined plans for an “Emirati compound” to house Palestinians in Rafah. Read more here.

• Palestinian resistance official says Trump’s BoP framework is political theater, affirms steadfastness is only option left: Dr. Muhammad Al-Hindi, Deputy Secretary-General of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, told Al Jazeera Mubasher that with “every door closed,” Palestinians have only steadfastness and resistance left, dismissing Trump’s ceasefire framework and the so-called Board of Peace as political theater that grants “sovereignty for President Trump, security for Israel,” while sidelining Palestinian representation. He accused Israel and the U.S. of blocking the reconstruction of Gaza as a form of “extortion,” and rejected calls for disarmament as an “attempt at deception” that would only invite further displacement—citing the occupied West Bank as an example. Al-Hindi added that the resistance does not trust Washington and entered negotiations only to stop bloodshed. He warned that Israel is pushing for wider regional war, including with Iran, to entrench its dominance, adding that Palestinians have been, “resisting for a century, before Iran, before any “axis”—and they will continue.”

Iran

• U.S.-Iran nuclear talks resume in Geneva: U.S. and Iranian officials began another round of talks in Geneva on Thursday morning, aimed at resolving their long-running nuclear dispute and averting possible U.S. strikes following a major American military buildup in the region, Reuters reports. U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are in attendance, while Iran is represented by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, with Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi mediating between the sides. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi is also in Geneva for consultations. The sides remain divided over sanctions relief, the fate of highly-enriched uranium still inside Iran, and Iran’s right to enrich uranium. Badr Albusaidi said U.S. and Iranian negotiators in Geneva had adjourned after what he described as “exchanging creative and positive ideas.” Ali Shamkhani, senior political advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Secretary of the Defense Council established in the aftermath of the so-called 12-Day War in June 2025, said on X that “an immediate agreement is within reach” between Iran and the U.S.

• Iran foreign minister rejects Trump missile claims, says “fair” deal still achievable: Abbas Araghchi rejected President Donald Trump’s State of the Union assertion that Tehran is developing missiles capable of reaching the United States, saying Trump was “himself the victim of fake news.” Araghchi said Iran has limited its missile range to under 2,000 kilometers and has “no intention” of building nuclear weapons. He added that decades of hostility between the U.S. and Iran stem from Washington being “fed with misinformation campaigns, mostly by Israeli lobbyists,” and stressed that a “fair, balanced and equitable deal” is still achievable.

• Iran’s nuclear program remains paused, but Rubio claims Iran wants to restart it: Iran’s nuclear program has not advanced significantly since U.S. and Israeli strikes last June, despite White House claims that Tehran is nearing weapons-grade capability, according to a new report in The Wall Street Journal. Experts and diplomats cited in the report say uranium enrichment appears effectively paused, while Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has said there is no evidence Iran resumed enrichment after the strikes. Abbas Araghchi told India Today that there is “no military option” within Iran’s nuclear program, and that Iran is willing to answer questions about the program, but it is not willing to suspend its use of nuclear technology entirely. “We have accepted not to have nuclear weapons,” he said, and Iran is willing to “build confidence” to ensure its nuclear program will remain “peaceful forever.” On Thursday, however, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that “Iran poses a very grave threat to the United States. …They are not enriching right now, but they are trying to get to the point where they ultimately can be.”

• Araghchi discusses alliances: In the same interview, Araghchi said that Iran has “lots of friends and partners,” such as China and Russia, but that it doesn’t “need anybody to defend” it. “When it comes to defending ourselves, we know how to defend ourselves by ourselves.” Araghchi rejected attempts to label the actions of Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Hamas as “terrorism” and said that Iran considers them “groups who are fighting for a just cause.” Iran remains committed to the Palestinian cause, according to the foreign minister. “Unless there is justice for the Palestinian people, there will be no peace,” he said.

• Iran floats U.S. investment incentives as part of nuclear negotiations: Iran is offering the prospect of major U.S. investment in its oil, gas, mining, and aviation sectors as part of efforts to secure a deal that would avert U.S. strikes, the Financial Times reported. One person briefed on the talks described the proposal as a “commercial bonanza” aimed at appealing to President Donald Trump’s focus on economic returns, while Deputy Foreign Minister Hamid Ghanbari told Iranian businessmen that joint energy development, mining projects, and civilian aircraft purchases are among the “common interests” under discussion. The report notes Iran holds the world’s third-largest oil reserves and second-largest gas reserves, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and shares the world’s largest natural gas field with Qatar.

United States

• DCCC drew millions from Palantir-linked lobbyists, new report finds: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee received $2.9 million in January from lobbyists at firms representing Palantir Technologies, accounting for 38 percent of the committee’s monthly haul, according to new Federal Election Commission filings reported in Sludge. The donations come amid protests over the company’s artificial intelligence tools being used in federal immigration enforcement. Those contracts include a $30 million Trump administration award to develop an AI-powered “ImmigrationOS” platform, as well as a potential $1 billion blanket purchase agreement with the Department of Homeland Security to provide software and related services. The lobbying firms Invariant LLC and Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck bundled the contributions; both have lobbied on defense appropriations, artificial intelligence policy, and border surveillance tied to Palantir’s government contracts. Read the full report from Sludge here.

• Anthropic drops flagship AI safety pledge: Artificial intelligence company Anthropic announced it was dropping a core AI safety pledge. In 2023, the company said in its Responsible Scaling Policy that it would delay AI development that might be dangerous. The company updated its rules on Tuesday saying in a statement, “The policy environment has shifted toward prioritizing AI competitiveness and economic growth, while safety-oriented discussions have yet to gain meaningful traction at the federal level.” The news comes as War Secretary Pete Hegseth gave Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei an ultimatum to remove safeguards on Anthropic’s advanced AI systems—including bans on mass domestic surveillance and autonomous lethal use—by Friday or face termination of its military contract.

• Vance announces temporary halt of some Medicaid funds to Minnesota: Vice President JD Vance announced on Wednesday that the Trump administration will temporarily withhold $259 million in Medicaid funding to Minnesota over alleged fraud concerns. Vance was accompanied by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services head Dr. Mehmet Oz, who said the funds would be released only after the state submits and implements a corrective action plan, for which it will have 60 days, and warned that up to $1 billion could be deferred over the next year if requirements are not met. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) called the move “a campaign of retribution,” while state Attorney General Keith Ellison said the state has secured hundreds of Medicaid fraud convictions and signaled potential legal action if funds are unlawfully withheld.

• Rohingya refugee found dead after Border Patrol release in Buffalo: A nearly blind Rohingya refugee, Nurul Amin Shah Alam, 56, was found dead after being detained at the Erie County Holding Center in Buffalo and later released by U.S. Border Patrol at a Tim Hortons five miles from his home, according to a new report from Investigative Post. Alam had been freed on bail Feb. 19 on local charges but was taken into custody by immigration agents, who allegedly left him at the coffee shop without notifying his family. Buffalo mayor Sean Ryan said in a statement on Wednesday: “A vulnerable man–nearly blind and unable to speak English–was left alone on a cold winter night ‌with no known attempt to leave him in a safe, secure location. …That decision from US Customs and Border Protection was unprofessional and inhumane.”

• Larry Summers to relinquish Harvard professorship amid Epstein fallout: Former Harvard President Larry Summers will resign from his teaching posts and give up his University Professorship, the institution’s highest faculty title, according to The Harvard Crimson, following renewed scrutiny over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Newly released emails show years of contact between the two, including exchanges up to the day before Epstein’s 2019 arrest. Summers has also stepped down from roles at The New York Times, Bloomberg L.P., and OpenAI, and faces a lifetime ban from the American Economic Association, according to the report.

• Mamdani rejects calls to ban snowball fights after Washington Square Park clash: On Thursday, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he would not criminalize organized snowball fights after a large gathering in Washington Square Park escalated and New York Police Department officers were pelted with snowballs. Mamdani described the episode as a “snowball fight that got out of hand,” urged respect for officers, and joked “If anyone’s catching a snowball, it’s me,” while rejecting demands for a sweeping crackdown. Four officers were reportedly treated for injuries and the department has opened an investigation. One person has reportedly been arrested.

• Lindsey Graham scoffs at any deal that allows for uranium enrichment: South Carolina Senator and Trump advisor Lindsey Graham (R) said if reports are true that the U.S. may allow Iran limited uranium enrichment for a “face-saving” deal, his response would be “screw that.” In a post on X, Graham called Iran’s leaders “religious Nazis.” “I hope help is on the way,” he said regarding a potential regime change he called “long overdue”.

• GOP housing bill would cap corporate homeownership while limiting state action: Draft legislation circulated by Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) would bar institutional investors from owning more than 100 single-family homes, a proposal which would ostensible fulfil President Trump’s promise to curb corporate landlords, which he referenced in his State of the Union address. However, versions reviewed by The Lever include provisions that would preempt certain state and local regulations on corporate homeownership, potentially affecting efforts underway in at least 18 states to impose stricter limits. Read more about this proposal and nationwide attempts to limit corporate homeownership in the full report from The Lever here.

International News

• Cuba claims it thwarted “terrorist” speedboat: Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior said it thwarted what it described as an armed “terrorist” infiltration near Cayo Falcones in Villa Clara in an announcement Thursday. Authorities intercepted a Florida-registered speedboat carrying 10 armed men who reportedly fired on Cuban personnel and injured their commander. Four of the speedboat crew were killed and the remaining six members of the party were detained. All the suspected invaders are Cuban nationals who were residing in the United States before the attack. The ministry said it seized assault rifles, handguns, Molotov cocktails, body armor, telescopic sights, and camouflage uniforms, and separately detained Duniel Hernández Santos inside Cuba on accusations he was sent from the United States to receive the group.

• U.S. Treasury signals limited authorization for Venezuelan oil resales to Cuba: The U.S. Treasury Department said it will consider license applications allowing Venezuelan oil to be resold to Cuba, provided the fuel supports civilians, private businesses, and humanitarian needs rather than the Cuban military or intelligence services. In an updated guidance, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said transactions must comply with Venezuela General License 46A and cannot benefit entities on the State Department’s Cuba Restricted List.

• Clashes in Syria’s Latakia province kill four: Clashes on Tuesday between Syrian internal security forces and Saraya al-Jawad, a militia linked to remnants of the ousted government of Bashar al-Assad, left at least four people dead in the coastal province of Latakia, including one security officer, according to Al Jazeera. Saraya al-Jawad is reportedly loyal to Suheil al-Hassan, a brigadier general and special forces commander who served in the military under the Assad regime.

• Hezbollah signals it would stay out of limited U.S. strikes on Iran: Hezbollah would not intervene militarily if the United States carries out limited strikes against Iran, a “pro-Iranian official” told AFP, though any direct attack on Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, would constitute a “red line.” Lebanese officials, speaking to Reuters on Wednesday, reported that Israel has warned Lebanon it would “strike Lebanon hard” if Hezbollah aided Iran during a U.S.-Iran conflict.

• RSF targeted people with disabilities in El Fasher, HRW alleges: Human Rights Watch said it interviewed 22 survivors and disability rights activists who accused Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces of executing, abusing, and extorting people with disabilities during and after their October 26, 2025 takeover of the North Darfur city of El Fasher. Survivors described fighters singling out amputees as alleged combatants, mocking others as “insane” or “not complete,” and shooting civilians as they fled, while witnesses recounted killings of people with Down syndrome and visual and mobility impairments, as well as looting of wheelchairs and hearing aids. HRW said families were forced to abandon relatives unable to flee, and that those who reached refugee camps in Tawil struggle with inaccessibility and lack of medical care. The group said the alleged targeted killings and degrading treatment amount to war crimes and may constitute crimes against humanity, urging action by the United Nations Security Council and sanctions on RSF leaders and their backers.

• UN sanctions committee adds four senior RSF leaders to blacklist: The United Nations Security Council sanctions committee on Sudan added four senior Rapid Support Forces leaders to its sanctions list, imposing global asset freezes and travel bans on those named. The new list includes Abdel Rahim Hamdan Dagalo, RSF deputy leader and brother of commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo; Gedo Hamdan Ahmed, the RSF’s North Darfur commander; Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris, an RSF brigadier general; and Tijani Ibrahim Moussa Mohamed, a field commander. The four join other senior RSF figures already under UN sanctions, including Osman Mohamed Hamid, the RSF’s head of operations, and Abdel Rahman Juma Barkalla, a West Darfur commander, both of whom were blacklisted in November 2024.

• 34 militants killed in Pakistani raids, government says: Pakistani security forces killed 34 militants in multiple operations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, the military reported, including 26 in districts near the Afghan border and eight in Balochistan. The fighters were indicated to be members of either the Tehreek-e-Taliban and or militant Baloch separatist groups. Separately, suspected militants from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan ambushed a police patrol in Bajaur district, killing four officers and wounding two, according to local officials.

• Air strike in Myanmar’s Rakhine state kills at least 17 civilians: A Myanmar military air strike killed at least 17 people, including women and children, and injured more than a dozen in Yoengu village in Ponnagyun township on Tuesday, local media and the Arakan Army said. The village, about 33 kilometers northeast of Sittwe in Rakhine state, has been under the control of the Arakan Army since March 2024 amid fighting with the military.

• 25 killed in raids in northeast Nigeria: Gunmen killed at least 25 people and burned homes in coordinated attacks on the villages of Kirchinga and Garaha in Adamawa State on Tuesday, according to Reuters. Village leaders said attackers dressed in military uniforms struck Kirchinga, where 18 bodies were recovered, while more than 50 gunmen on motorcycles stormed Garaha, killing seven people and attacking a nearby military base, where three soldiers also died. The communities lie on the edge of the Sambisa Forest, a stronghold of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province. The Nigerian military pledged to restore “peace and stability” to the region in its response to the attacks.

• Congo launches drone strikes on rebel-held Rubaya mine: DRC government forces launched drone strikes against AFC/M23 rebels near the strategic mining town of Rubaya in North Kivu province on Wednesday, sources told AFP. M23, which is backed by Rwanda, seized the coltan-rich site in April 2024. The mine in Rubaya produces an estimated 15 to 30 percent of the world’s supply of coltan, a key mineral for electronics. Clashes were also reported in South Kivu, where the Congolese military is also battling M23-aligned groups.

• Ukrainian drone strike hits fertiliser plant in Russia’s Smolensk: A fertiliser plant in Dorogobuzh, in Russia’s Smolensk region about 290 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, was struck by around 30 Ukrainian drones, killing seven people and injuring at least 10, Russia’s Investigative Committee said Wednesday. Regional Governor Vasily Anokhin described the incident as a “barbaric terrorist attack,” saying the facility—which produces ammonium nitrate and nitric acid—caught fire but that flames were contained.

• Orban orders heightened security at energy sites amid oil dispute with Ukraine: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban ordered additional security at critical energy infrastructure on Wednesday, accusing Ukraine of attempting to disrupt Hungary’s energy system through what he described as an “oil blockade.” Orban said his country’s intelligence services warned of further actions targeting power plants and control centers, though he provided no evidence for the claim, and pledged to deploy soldiers and increase police patrols around key facilities. Budapest has accused Kyiv of holding back Russian oil deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline, while Ukrainian officials say the line was damaged by a Russian drone strike and can operate reliably only if attacks cease.

Drop Site on the Hill

Send any congressional tips to Drop Site’s Capitol Hill correspondent Julian Andreone via email at julian@dropsitenews.com or via Signal at julianandreone.2003

• Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) answered Drop Site correspondent Julian Andreone’s question about the profits Hern made on a timely trade involving his position in UnitedHealth. “You need to talk to my guy that’s been doing my stuff for about 13 years now,” Hern responded. He added that he had “no idea” about the sale and said a Tulsa-based firm manages his portfolio and has “not at all” discussed his congressional work with him.

• Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said he intends to vote “no” on the Kaine-Paul War Powers Resolution in the Senate, and when Andreone asked him on how strikes on Iran might benefit Pennsylvanians, he replied: “Oh, it absolutely does. It makes the Middle East safer.” Asked again how such action might help Pennsylvanians, he answered: “Absolutely.”

• Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) was pressed by Andreone on why the U.S. would need to strike Iran again after President Trump declared in June 2025 that its key nuclear enrichment sites had already been “completely and totally obliterated.” “I don’t know,” he responded.

• Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) discussed Trump’s data center proposal. “The bottom line is that of course a local community should not have to pay for the electricity problems caused by these giant corporations,” Sanders said. “Trump is doing everything he can to expand AI, which I think in a number of ways, including job loss [and] privacy rights, is a disaster for the country.”

• Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) told Andreone that he intends to vote for the war powers resolution restricting strikes on Iran, “unless [he] gets a clear and concise briefing from the administration that explains the strategy, their intentions, how it will make America safer.” He said he’s received “almost nothing” so far, and added the President in his speech yesterday “didn’t give an explanation for what’s the goal here,” questioning the rationale for sustaining what Coons described as the “largest armada in three decades” in the Middle East.

• Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) told Drop Site that “We shouldn’t be going to war in the Middle East,” adding, “I’m sick of f—ing wars.” According to Gallego, war with Iran is “not in our national interest” and “not going to accomplish much of anything.” He warned it would “destabilize the region” and be “much, much tougher” than Iraq.

• Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said President Trump should publicly demand floor votes on the economic proposals he highlighted in his State of the Union, including a ban on congressional stock trading, a 10% cap on credit card interest rates, and curbs on private equity in housing. “It’s nice that you all stood and cheered for these things,” Hawley told Drop Site, noting bipartisan applause yesterday for the proposal. “When push comes to shove, they don’t want to vote on it. They’ll cheer for it.”

• Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said that “A war with Iran would be a grand disaster. Completely unnecessary.” “My constituents don’t want it, and they especially don’t want a president to take us into war without an adequate debate about the reasons.” Asked why the U.S. would attack Iran, Sen. Kaine responded: “I don’t have any idea.” He added, “I don’t think last night the president gave the American public any reason to suggest that a war with Iran would be a good idea.”

More from Drop Site

“While Iran Boils, Trump’s ‘Peace Plan’ Threatens Palestinian Existence”

Drop Site co-founder Jeremy Scahill joined Palestinian-American journalist Rami G. Khouri in a discussion hosted by Massachusetts Peace Action, to discuss recent developments in Iran, Palestine, and the U.S., particularly as they relate to the ongoing struggle for Palestinian nationhood. A full video of their discussion is available here.

Programming note: You can sign up here to get updates from us on our WhatsApp channel.

If you want to continue getting this newsletter, you don’t have to do anything. But if this is too much—we do try to be mindful of your inbox—you can unsubscribe from this newsletter while continuing to get the rest of our reporting. Just go into your account here at this link, scroll down, and toggle the button next to “Drop Site Daily” to the off setting. It looks like this: