President Donald Trump said on Monday that the war in Iran is “effectively over” militarily, and that the United States will hold off on new strikes while diplomatic talks continue.
Trump made the remarks during a surprise visit to the White House briefing room, hours after meeting Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. “Iran militarily is effectively over,” he told reporters. “We’re just keeping it the status quo.”
The president said he decided against resuming strikes after the talks with Qatar, which has acted as a mediator between Washington and Tehran. He added that Iran’s leadership had been “decapitated” and that the US would keep pushing for a long-term deal to make sure Iran’s nuclear programme is defanged.
At the same time, Trump said the pressure campaign stays in place. The US naval blockade of Iranian ports continues, and he announced a new effort, dubbed Operation Iron Gate, to cut off Iran’s overland trade routes. “We’re locked and loaded, ready to go for any reason that changes,” he said.
Trump told CNN on Sunday that it was “highly unlikely” strikes would resume as long as negotiations show progress and Iran signs what he called a “strong agreement”. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was more cautious, saying he would not call the talks “the verge of a breakthrough”.
The conflict has lasted more than eight months. It began in February with US and Israeli strikes on Iran, and the Pentagon has put the cost to the US military at more than $47 billion as of mid-October. Trump has said the war cost his party votes in the midterms, with voters unhappy about the fighting and higher petrol prices.
Source: USA Today
