play Live Sign upShow navigation menuplay Live Click here to searchsearchSign upBREAKINGBREAKING, News|US-Israel war on IranTrump calls Iran war ‘effectively over’ after talks with Qatar PMThe US president met with Qatar’s prime minister to discuss mediation with Iran.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoUS President Donald Trump speaks to the news media at the White House on November 9 [Mandel Ngan/AFP]By Al Jazeera StaffPublished On 9 Nov 20269 Nov 2026United States President Donald Trump has signalled that he considers the US-Israeli war against Iran “effectively” at an end, after meeting with mediators from Qatar.
In a surprise briefing on Monday, Trump reiterated his position that the US had destroyed Iran’s military. But his remarks suggested he faced pressure from allies in the Middle East to bring hostilities to a close.
“Iran, militarily, is effectively over. We’re just keeping it the status quo,” he said. “We’re doing that really at the behest of countries that are their neighbours.”
The US president clarified that the “status quo” would involve continuing the US naval blockade against Iranian ports, as well as the newly announced Task Force Iron Gate, which seeks to cut off trade by land.
“Much was discussed with respect to the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump said.
“Most importantly, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and others would prefer the status quo, that we remain as is — in other words, a continuation of the greatest naval blockade in the history of our country. Probably in the history of the world.”
Trump’s comments come shortly after he and Vice President JD Vance hosted Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani at the White House to discuss the Iran war.
The prime minister posted on social media that he was “grateful for the positive discussions on reaching a deal and bringing peace to the region”.
This is a breaking news story. More details to come…
