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WASHINGTON, November 9, 2026 — United States President Donald Trump said on Monday he would hold off on new military strikes against Iran for the time being after talks at the White House with Qatar’s prime minister, while keeping a naval blockade in place and warning that American forces remained ready if conditions changed.
The White House Rapid Response account on X posted official clips of Mr Trump taking questions in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room after the meeting. In one clip, he said: “Iran, militarily, is effectively over. We’re just keeping it the status quo… I don’t guarantee anything, but if we do have to go back in, we are locked and loaded.” Reuters, AFP and Al Jazeera reported the same briefing, in which he said he was acting “at the behest of countries that are their neighbours” and named Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and others.
In another clip posted by the Rapid Response account, Mr Trump said: “Much was discussed with respect to the Islamic Republic of Iran… At this point, taking the military action doesn’t seem to be a very necessary thing — but we’re locked and loaded ready to go for any reason.” Reuters quoted him telling reporters: “The United States of America is fully locked and loaded with the best equipment ever made, and we don’t think there’s going to be any reason to use it.” He also said: “I think it’s going to be ending fairly soon.”
In a brief telephone interview with Reuters the same day, Mr Trump said Qatar and Saudi Arabia “would rather see a peaceful solution,” but added, “we’re ready to go anytime we want” with strikes. “We’ll see where it goes,” he said. “I’m prepared.”
The meeting was with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister and a key intermediary with Tehran, who had visited the Iranian capital last week. AFP noted that it was Mr Trump’s first meeting with a foreign leader since his party’s losses in last week’s midterm elections. On X, Sheikh Mohammed wrote: “We discussed the situation in the region and ways to progress the US-Iran talks. Grateful for the positive discussions on reaching a deal and bringing peace to the region.”
The Rapid Response account also circulated Mr Trump’s Truth Social post describing “an excellent conversation” with the Qatari prime minister. In that post, he said Gulf countries “would prefer the status quo, in other words, a continuation of the Greatest Naval Blockade in History, and the new Operation Iron Gate — Therefore, Land and Sea.” He wrote that “all have agreed that Iran cannot have a Nuclear Weapon — That is non-negotiable,” that further strikes seemed “quite unlikely,” and that “we are seeing positive momentum toward an end to this Conflict.” Those statements are Mr Trump’s account of the talks, not independently confirmed agreements.
Further clips posted by the Rapid Response account showed Mr Trump stressing that any settlement must last. “We want to make sure it’s a long-term solution, not just a short-term. They’ll never have a nuclear weapon, but we have to make sure that’s a long-term,” he said. In a later clip he added: “The bottom line is we can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon — because they’d use it.” That last claim is his assertion and has not been independently verified. Iran has long denied seeking a nuclear weapon.
The remarks came more than eight months into a conflict that began on February 28, 2026. Mr Trump’s “status quo” would still include the naval blockade of Iranian ports and Task Force Iron Gate. Iranian state media said United States forces struck Qeshm Island, in the Strait of Hormuz, overnight from November 8 to 9; a provincial official told the semi-official Fars news agency the strikes did not affect vital infrastructure. Washington has not commented on those reports. Reuters said attacks on tankers in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz had continued in November, and senior US and Gulf officials have cast doubt on an imminent diplomatic deal.
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