US President Donald Trump said on Monday, 9 November 2026, that he believes the war in Iran is militarily “effectively over”, after meeting earlier in the day with Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
Trump made the remarks during a surprise visit to the White House briefing room. The closed-door meeting with the Qatari prime minister also included Vice President JD Vance.
“Iran militarily is effectively over,” Trump told reporters. “We’re just keeping it the status quo.”
He added that Iran has been “decapitated”, but said he is still looking to make sure there is a long-term solution to ensuring Iran’s nuclear programme is defanged. He said there was “positive momentum” toward ending the war, adding: “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.”
Trump gave no hint of a drawdown of US troops off Iran, and said the naval blockade continues. “We’re keeping it going. We have the greatest military blockade ever,” he said.
Important caveat: no deal or formal ceasefire has been signed. Trump said the war is “effectively over” militarily, not that a peace agreement exists.
The war is about eight months old. Trump’s Republican Party lost both chambers of Congress in last week’s midterm elections, with dissatisfaction over the war and a surge in fuel prices shadowing the vote.
Earlier on Monday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the next steps are up to Trump. Republican Representative Thomas Massie moved on Monday to force a vote to impeach Hegseth.
Iran insists on several concessions before nuclear talks, including ending the US blockade, lifting sanctions, unfreezing assets, compensation for war damage and ending hostilities including Israeli operations in Lebanon. Iranian officials dismissed Trump’s remarks as “fake news” and a distraction, according to Al Jazeera. Qatar’s prime minister described the discussions as “positive” in a social media post.
Source: Associated Press, republished by Japan Today and Al Jazeera.
