US President Donald Trump has signaled that he believes the war between the US and Israel against Iran has “effectively” come to an end, after meeting with the Prime Minister of Qatar in Washington, DC. In a surprise briefing on Monday, Trump reiterated his position that the United States had destroyed Iran’s military. But his comments suggested he faces pressure from allies in the Middle East to end hostilities. List of recommended 3-item storiesend of list “Iran militarily is effectively finished,” he said. “We just maintain the status quo, and we do it really at the behest of the countries that are its neighbors.” His comments came after a closed-door meeting with US Vice President JD Vance and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, who praised the progress in a social media post. “We discussed the situation in the region and ways to move forward in talks between the United States and Iran,” the prime minister said. “Grateful for the positive discussions to reach an agreement and bring peace to the region.” Still, Trump acknowledged that the “status quo” would involve continuing the US naval blockade against Iranian ports, as well as the recently announced Iron Gate Task Force, which seeks to cut off trade over land and through the Caspian Sea. “Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and others would prefer the status quo, that we remain as is,” he said. “In other words, a continuation of the largest naval blockade in the history of our country. Probably in the history of the world.” Trump also indicated in his report that the United States was willing to resume fighting if the need arose. “Taking military action does not seem to be something very necessary, but we are armed and ready to act for any reason that changes,” he said. “Israel and the entire Middle East are protected from Iranian danger and threats, and we are seeing momentum towards the end of Meanwhile, Iranian officials dismissed Trump’s latest comments as a distraction. “The war against Iran has already torn the US government apart, but Washington is flailing like a desperate gambler,” Iran’s National Security Council Supreme Secretary Mohsen Rezaei wrote in a social media post. “STOP fabricating FAKE NEWS about imaginary talks.” The country’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, had called for an end to the situation, which he described as “neither war nor peace.” Pezeshkian added that Iran was open to new negotiations but would not be coerced, according to Iranian media. “We will not surrender to force and intimidation,” he said. Since the war against Iran began on February 28, the conflict has spread to neighboring countries and disrupted international trade. Measures to close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for oil, gas and fertilizers, among other goods, Iran also responded to US and Israeli attacks with missiles and drone fire against its neighbors in the Gulf, including Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, with many of the attacks targeting US military facilities. In the nearly nine months since the war began, the US offensive against Iran has become sporadic, with intermittent exchanges of fire. In recent days, for example, the Trump administration announced “minor strikes” against Iran’s Qeshm Island. claimed that Iran’s uranium enrichment program had been destroyed. But it has since made the reduction of Iran’s nuclear program a central premise for the ongoing war. Iran has long denied seeking a nuclear weapon and maintains that its uranium enrichment program is aimed at civilian energy generation. Meanwhile, officials in Iran have pushed for the United States to agree to seven conditions for ending the war including Israel’s attacks on Lebanon. conflict. Sheikh Mohammed, the prime minister, also serves as foreign minister and is known for acting as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran. In Monday’s closed-door meeting, he reportedly presented Trump with a two-day proposal from Iran to end the war. Afterward, Trump was asked by reporters in the meeting room: “Why not just declare an end to the conflict and get it over with?” Trump responded by framing the continued US blockade as a matter of regional security. He also called for a “long-term solution,” rather than a short-term one. “We have great allies there, and we have to make sure they don’t get hurt, and they will,” he said. “Now they are much safer than six months ago because Iran has been so decapitated. But they are still a bit of the bullies of the Middle East.”
