Trump Says Iran War Is Militarily Effectively Over After Qatar Talks, Keeps Blockade in Place

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said on Monday, November 9, 2026, that the war in Iran "militarily is effectively over" and that the United States is "just keeping it the status quo." He made the comments during a surprise visit to the White House briefing room, hours after a closed door meeting with Qatar's prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, a key mediator between Washington and Tehran.

What stays in place

Trump said the naval blockade of Iranian ports continues, with no sign of a drawdown of the US forces sent to the region. "We're keeping it going. We have the greatest military blockade ever," he said. In a post on Truth Social shortly before he spoke to reporters, Trump said Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and others "would prefer the status quo," meaning a continuation of the blockade and of Operation Iron Gate, the new effort to cut Iran's overland trade routes. He kept the threat of new strikes in place at the same time. "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.

No deal yet

The meeting, which lasted about 45 minutes, produced no agreement to end the war. Trump said there was "positive momentum" and a "good chance" that the war "could get ended," and said of the Iranians, "They're talking to us, and they're talking very politely." Secretary of State Marco Rubio had taken a cooler line on November 8, saying negotiators were not on the verge of a breakthrough and calling Iran's demands "outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic." Qatari officials last week presented proposals on Iran's nuclear program, the Associated Press reported, citing two Middle East government officials. Iran says its conditions before nuclear talks include ending the blockade on its ports, lifting sanctions, unfreezing its assets, compensation for war damage and ending hostilities across the region, including Israeli operations in Lebanon. Trump said he still wants a long term solution that leaves Iran's nuclear program defanged, and said Iran has been "decapitated."

A war that just cost his party Congress

The comments came six days after Republicans lost both the House and the Senate in the midterm elections, a defeat Vice President JD Vance blamed on the war. "The reason we lost is the war," Vance wrote on November 4. Polls put the cost of living at the top of voter concerns, and the war has driven fuel prices up for months. The Pentagon put the cost of the war at more than 47 billion dollars as of October 16, with about 50,000 US troops deployed to the Central Command area. US forces have still carried out limited strikes on Iran in the past week, including against its air defenses, and on Saturday fired on and disabled a commercial ship that the US says tried to breach the blockade. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday that the next steps on the war are up to Trump. Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky moved the same day to force a House vote on impeaching Hegseth, largely over his handling of the war.