President Donald Trump has said he believes the war on Iran is militarily “effectively over”, telling reporters after talks with Qatar’s prime minister that renewed military action against Tehran “doesn’t seem to be a very necessary thing”.
Key Points
- Trump Iran war effectively over — the president said the US-Israel war on Iran is militarily “effectively over” after meeting Qatar’s prime minister.
- Trump said the US is “fully locked and loaded” but does not think there will be a reason to use force, citing “positive momentum” toward ending the conflict.
- Qatar’s prime minister described the talks as “positive”; Iran has put forward a proposal for a ceasefire followed by nuclear discussions.
- Trump has not said whether he accepted Iran’s proposal, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called the Iranian proposals unacceptable.
Trump spoke in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Monday, 9 November, after a 45-minute meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani. “At this point, it won’t be necessary taking — the military action doesn’t seem to be a very necessary thing but we’re locked and loaded, ready to go for any reason that changes,” he said. “We’re seeing momentum towards the end of this conflict. I think it’s going to be ending fairly soon,” he added, while saying he could not make any guarantees.
The president said taking military action against Iran “doesn’t seem to be a very necessary thing”, and that Israel and the entire Middle East were protected from Iranian danger and threats. “All have agreed that Iran cannot have a Nuclear Weapon — That is non-negotiable!” he wrote, adding that resumption of strikes was “quite unlikely” and that “we are seeing positive momentum toward an end to this Conflict, and will ensure that America’s interests are at all times protected.”
A proposal on the table
Trump has been reviewing a hand-delivered draft from Tehran, put forward through the Qatari prime minister, that would provide for a ceasefire followed by nuclear discussions, specifically about what to do with the uranium stockpiles that still exist in Iran. The proposal would also reopen the Strait of Hormuz and see the United States end its blockade.
Trump has not said whether he accepted the proposal — and he did not say he rejected it either. The Qatari prime minister said in a post that he was grateful for the positive discussions on reaching a deal to bring peace to the region. But prospects for an immediate end remain dim: Secretary of State Marco Rubio said as recently as Sunday that he considered the proposals put forward by the Iranians unacceptable, and Iran’s top negotiator has warned of a “dark age” if the US continues to put Israel first.
What happens next
The war has run since the US and Israel launched military attacks on Iran on 28 February. A ceasefire was reached in April, followed by a regionally mediated memorandum of understanding in June, but the understandings collapsed and fighting resumed in July, while diplomatic efforts continue. On Monday evening, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham discussed efforts to contain tensions in the Middle East and prevent the conflict from expanding, and stressed that all parties must comply with the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
In Gaza itself, Hamas has called on Trump’s Board of Peace to compel Israel to allow relief supplies into the territory, accusing the board of offering a “distorted narrative” of the causes of the flood disaster there. The board says Israel needs to act immediately to help war-battered Gaza cope with the impending winter. Whether Trump’s “effectively over” marks a real turning point — or another pause before the fighting resumes — will be decided by whether the ceasefire proposal on his desk becomes a deal.
For background on the military campaign, see our report on Trump confirming the Qeshm Island strike as Iran warns against a return to war, and on US strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island as oil rebounds. More in our World News section.
Sources: Al Jazeera, “Iran war updates: Trump says US-Israel war on Iran ‘effectively over’”; Anadolu Agency via Anews, “Egyptian president, British premier discuss containing Iran escalation, Gaza ceasefire”.