US President Donald Trump said on Monday there was momentum toward ending the war with Iran, as he declared that the country “militarily, is effectively over” but kept open the possibility of new strikes.
“Iran, militarily, is effectively over. We’re just keeping it the status quo,” Trump told reporters Monday at a White House press briefing. “But if we do have to go back in, we are locked and loaded, and ready to go.”
Trump met at the White House with Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, a key mediator in the Iran war, in his first meeting with a foreign leader since his party’s massive losses in the midterm elections.
Trump later posted on Truth Social that the two leaders had “an excellent conversation” and that “much was discussed with respect to the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
He said that Gulf states — Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and others — “preferred to the status quo” over strikes in what he described as “the largest naval blockade in history” and the Iron Gate land operation.
He said all parties agreed Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon and that the point was not open to negotiation, but again said further strikes were “quite unlikely”.
“We are seeing positive momentum toward an end to this conflict, and will ensure that America’s interests are at all times protected,” Trump said.
Qatar’s Prime Minister Al Thani described his meeting with Trump and Vice President JD Vance in Washington as “excellent,” saying they discussed “the situation in the region” and “ways to advance the negotiations between the United States and Iran.”
He said he was “grateful for the positive discussions on achieving an agreement and establishing peace in the region.”
Iron Gate is a CENTCOM task force created to block the transfer of advanced weapons, sanctioned goods and illicit revenues across Iran’s land borders and the Caspian Sea.
Tehran pushes back
Iranian officials meanwhile expressed defiance at the continued pressure from Washington.
Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei wrote on X late Monday that the US “flails like a desperate gambler,” telling Washington to “fold your hand. Stop manufacturing fake news about imaginary talks.”
Earlier, Tehran’s top negotiator Mahammad Bagher Ghalibaf claimed on X that Israel was pushing the US deeper into conflict, adding that “unless Washington drops the ‘Israel First’ mindset, America and its allies are headed straight for a dark age.”
On the ground in Iran, strikes, which have not been publicly acknowledged by the US military, are continuing, according to Iranian authorities.
The island of Qeshm, located in the Strait of Hormuz, was targeted overnight from Sunday to Monday, the provincial deputy governor stated on state television.
Media outlets reported on Monday, citing Turkey’s intelligence service chief Ibrahim Kalin, that Qatar would host a meeting between Vance and Rezaei next week. Kalin described it as an important opportunity for a breakthrough in the talks.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied any such meeting was being planned. Tasnim news agency, citing a senior Iranian security official, said Iran’s negotiating position had not changed and that it would not hold talks with the US until Washington took concrete steps within the framework of Iran’s seven conditions.
Brent crude futures fell to $92 a barrel on Monday as expectations grew that the war could end.