Trump Says Iran War Militarily 'Effectively Over' as Tehran Denies Planned Talks

US President Donald Trump said on Monday, 10 November, at a White House press briefing that Iran is "militarily, effectively over" and that there is momentum toward ending the war with that country. At the same time, he left open the possibility of resuming strikes. Iran, for its part, rejects reports of upcoming talks with Washington. The matter carries weight because the conflict affects security across the Middle East and the oil market.

"We're just keeping it the status quo. But if we do have to go back in, we are ready," Trump said. He met Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, a key mediator in the war. It was Trump's first meeting with a foreign leader since his party suffered heavy losses in the midterm elections.

On Truth Social, Trump wrote that much had been discussed regarding Iran. According to him, Gulf states, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait, preferred the status quo to strikes. He also referred to "the largest naval blockade in history" and the Iron Gate land operation. Iron Gate is a US Central Command (CENTCOM) task force set up to stop the transfer of advanced weapons, sanctioned goods and illicit revenues across Iran's land borders and the Caspian Sea. Trump claimed all parties agree Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon and that this is not open to negotiation. He again described further strikes as "quite unlikely".

Al Thani called his meeting with Trump and Vice President JD Vance "excellent" and said they discussed ways to advance negotiations between the United States and Iran.

Tehran pushes back

Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, wrote on X that the US "flails like a desperate gambler" and urged Washington to stop manufacturing fake news about imaginary talks. Iran's top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, claimed Israel was pushing the US deeper into the conflict.

Iranian authorities say strikes are continuing, although the US military has not publicly acknowledged them. The island of Qeshm in the Strait of Hormuz was targeted overnight from Sunday to Monday. According to media reports, Turkey's intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin said Qatar would host a meeting between Vance and Rezaei next week. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied such a meeting was planned. Tasnim news agency, citing a senior Iranian security official, reported that Iran's position had not changed.

Brent crude futures fell to $92 a barrel on Monday as expectations grew that the war could end.