Hi Global Recap readers,
We’ve got another countdown.
President Trump just said Iran has “about 10-15 days” to make a nuclear deal, or face “bad things.” Still, plenty of people are skeptical, because we’ve heard ultimatums like this before.
And now there’s another major roadblock standing in the way. 👇🏼
🇬🇧 UNITED KINGDOM
UK Blocks
Iran Strike Bases
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer
According to The Times, Prime Minister Starmer is blocking the US from using UK-controlled military bases for a potential strike on Iran.
This is supposedly because PM Starmer is worried about violations of "international law."
Bases. The locations cited were Diego Garcia, the key airfield on the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, and RAF Fairford in England. Both are British-controlled sites where US access is politically conditional, not automatic.
Leverage. The same report linked Starmer’s refusal to President Donald Trump’s sudden public withdrawal of support for a UK plan to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while keeping Diego Garcia under a long lease.
Trump sharpened that message on February 18, posting on Truth Social that the base might be needed if Iran does not agree to a deal and warning, "DO NOT GIVE AWAY DIEGO GARCIA!"
Mixed Messaging. The timing is awkward because US messaging has been inconsistent even in the past few weeks.
On Tuesday (before Trump’s post) the US State Department issued a statement backing the UK’s Chagos agreement and said Washington would hold talks with Mauritius next week.
“The United States supports the decision of the United Kingdom to proceed with its agreement with Mauritius concerning the Chagos archipelago.”
Distance between Diego Garcia and Iran is estimated to be between 3,800 to 4,000 km (roughly 2,350 to 2,500 miles)
📌 Context. Britain kept the Chagos Islands after Mauritius gained independence in the 1960s and later removed islanders, creating a long-running legal and political mess around Diego Garcia.
A 2025 agreement reportedly aims to transfer sovereignty to Mauritius while keeping the base under a 99-year lease, a setup now entangled with escalating Iran contingency planning.
🇬🇧 UNITED KINGDOM
Andrew Arrested,
Then Released
Prince Andrew, as he is leaving Aylsham Police Station on a vehicle.
King Charles' brother Andrew was arrested, questioned all day, then released from custody on suspicion of misconduct in public office tied to allegations involving the infamous child trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Not sure if this was intended, but it was his birthday today—turning 66.
Arrest. On Thursday, February 19, 2026, detectives from Thames Valley Police arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and questioned him throughout the day before releasing him that evening from a police station in Aylsham, eastern England.
Allegations. Police are examining claims that, while serving as the UK government's Special Representative for Trade and Investment, he sent confidential government documents to Epstein.
Prince Andrew’s brother, King Charles
Palace. Buckingham Palace was not informed in advance, but King Charles issued a statement saying he learned of the arrest "with the deepest concern" and that the family would give authorities its "full and wholehearted support and cooperation." The king added, "the law must take its course," then carried on with public duties, including attending a fashion show in London.
Stakes. Misconduct in public office is a common law offense, and a conviction can carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, with cases heard in Crown Court. Police stressed that arrest requires reasonable suspicion but "does not imply guilt," and they cited "particular complexities" around the offense.
📌 Context. Andrew has long faced fallout over his ties to Epstein, stepping down as trade envoy in 2011 and quitting official royal duties in 2019. Last October, his older brother stripped him of titles and honors, and police say the current investigation is not related to earlier civil litigation in the United States.
🇺🇸 UNITED STATES
Trump’s Gaza
Peace Board
President Donald Trump used his first Board of Peace meeting to promise $10 billion for rebuilding Gaza, pitching the new body as a global power that can outmuscle the UN.
Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace
Scene. On Feb 19, 2026, Trump opened the inaugural session in Washington with representatives from about two dozen countries, including the presidents of Indonesia and Argentina, Hungary’s prime minister, and Bahrain’s king, while many others sent lower-level officials.
Platform. The meeting took place at the US Institute of Peace, a congressionally created nonprofit that the administration seized last year and renamed after Trump, a move still being litigated.
The Board of Peace’s phased reconstruction plan for Gaza’s Rafah, Khan Younis and Gaza City.
Money. Trump framed the board as a supplement, or alternative, to the UN while the United States withholds mandatory UN dues that make up nearly a quarter of its operating budget, and he offered the $10 billion pledge without explaining the funding path.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were among attendees pledging funds that, in total, reached more than $6.5 billion.
World Bank Group President Ajay Banga described the bank’s role as trustee to manage government-contributed funds.
Blueprint. The board’s Gaza plan pairs a 5,000-person local police force that a Palestinian technocrats committee says will deploy within 60 days with a longer-term, 20,000-strong International Stabilization Force, led by Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers.
Indonesia is preparing to contribute up to 8,000 troops alongside Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, and Albania.
The plan starts near Rafah in southern Gaza and would expand into additional sectors, including areas where Hamas remains in charge.
Blockers.
Trump addressed Hamas’s continued control over parts of Gaza, calling it the main obstacle and saying, "The world is now waiting on Hamas."
An aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this week a 60-day deadline has been set before Israel may resume the war.
