Trump Says Iran War Is ‘Militarily Effectively Over’ After Meeting Qatar’s Prime Minister

WASHINGTON, Nov. 9 (TodayViralUSA) — President Donald Trump said Monday that the U.S. war with Iran is “militarily effectively over,” his most definitive signal yet that he is stepping back from threats to resume large-scale strikes now that the midterm elections have passed.

Trump made the remark during an unannounced appearance in the White House briefing room, hours after meeting with Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, whose government has acted as a go-between for Washington and Tehran.

“Iran militarily is effectively over,” Trump told reporters. “We’re just keeping it the status quo.”

‘Decapitated,’ but no deal yet

The president said Iran had been “decapitated” by U.S. military action, but added that he still wants a long-term arrangement that ensures Tehran’s nuclear program is neutralized, according to The Associated Press.

In a phone interview with CNN on Sunday, Trump said that as long as negotiations show progress and Iran signs a “strong agreement,” it is “highly unlikely it’s going to be necessary” to restart strikes. He also said the U.S. had drawn up a list of infrastructure targets, including 38 bridges, that it would hit if fighting resumed.

Diplomacy remains difficult. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said ahead of Monday’s meeting with the Qatari leader that talks had made little progress, The Economic Times reported.

Limited strikes and a naval blockade continue

Despite the president’s comments, U.S. forces have carried out limited strikes on Iran, including on its air defenses, at least twice in the past week. On Saturday, the U.S. military fired on and disabled a commercial vessel it said was attempting to break the naval blockade of Iranian ports.

Trump also announced a new “Task Force Iron Gate” to restrict the flow of weapons, dual-use technology and sanctioned materials into and out of Iran. It will operate alongside the blockade, which U.S. Central Command says has kept Iran from exporting more than $25 billion worth of crude oil.

A war that shaped the midterms

The eight-month conflict weighed heavily on last week’s elections, in which Trump’s Republican Party lost control of both chambers of Congress. Voter frustration over the war and the surge in fuel prices it triggered, which has rippled through nearly every sector of the global economy, was a central theme of the campaign.

The war is also at the center of a fresh push on Capitol Hill to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, with a House vote expected as soon as this week.