Trump Calls Iran War 'Effectively Over' After Qatar Meeting, Keeps Blockade in Place; Tehran's Security Chief Tells US to 'Surrender'

Hours after meeting Qatar's prime minister on Monday, Nov. 9, President Trump moved his public line on the war: no new strikes planned, no deal announced, and no easing of pressure on Tehran.

"Should there be any change with respect to developments in the Middle East, the United States of America is locked and loaded and ready to go," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "At this point, however, that seems to be quite unlikely."

At an impromptu White House press conference, he went further. "Iran, militarily, is effectively over. We're just keeping it the status quo," Trump said, adding that the U.S. is doing so "really at the behest of countries that are their neighbors."

Blockade stays, by land and sea

Trump said Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait "would prefer the status quo," meaning a continuation of the naval blockade and the new Operation Iron Gate. "Iron Gate is land, so by land and by sea, and we will take care of business," he told reporters.

U.S. Central Command announced Task Force Iron Gate last week. It is meant to restrict the movement of weapons technology, dual-use items and sanctioned goods across Iran's land borders and through the Caspian Sea.

Trump also said the U.S. will stay in the region to protect Gulf partners. "It's ending quickly, but we want to take care of people that have been very good to us over the years," he said.

The U.S. has also carried out limited strikes on Iran's Qeshm island in recent weeks. The Trump administration describes them as defensive.

What Trump did not say

Trump stopped short of declaring the war over. He told reporters Iran is "talking very politely" and that there is a "good chance that could get ended." He also said, "I hope we're going to be able to make a deal with them."

He repeated that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, which he called "non-negotiable." Axios described the day's remarks as the furthest he has gone toward ending the war since February.

On Sunday he had been more conditional. Trump told CNN renewed strikes were "highly unlikely" if Iran signed "a very strong agreement," and said a third U.S. aircraft carrier had just arrived. He claimed Iran's missile production is down to roughly 10 percent of its prior capacity and drone production to about 15 percent. Those figures are his own and have not been independently confirmed.

He also said the U.S. has "38 bridges in our sight that we can knock down in literally one hour."

Tehran's answer

Iran's Supreme National Security Council secretary, Mohsen Rezaei, rejected the premise of Trump's talk of negotiations. "The war on Iran has already wrecked the US government," he wrote on X. He accused Washington of "manufacturing FAKE NEWS about imaginary talks" and demanded it "SURRENDER to the seven conditions Iran has repeatedly set out."

Iranian officials have said the U.S. must lift its blockade and sanctions to restart negotiations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that Iran's demands are "outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic." Rubio arrived in Paris on Monday for a two-day G7 foreign ministers' meeting where Iran and Ukraine are expected to dominate.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has issued directives on ending the state of "neither war nor peace" with the U.S., Iran's ISNA news agency reported. Pezeshkian said any dialogue must be on "fair and equal footing," without coercion.

Qatar's prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said he met Trump and Vice President JD Vance. "We discussed the situation in the region and ways to progress the US-Iran talks," he wrote on X, adding he was "grateful for the positive discussions on reaching a deal."

The Guardian noted that Trump has said a final peace deal was imminent dozens of times during the nearly nine-month war.

Oil and gasoline

Brent crude futures fell to $92 on Monday. U.S. crude is below $90 a barrel, which CBS News tied to investor optimism that the midterm results will mean an end to the conflict.

AAA put the national average for regular gasoline at $4.0093 on Monday, down more than 36 cents from a month ago. It could fall below $4 as soon as Tuesday, the first time since July. Diesel is down only about 10 cents over the past month and is still about $2.44 a gallon above a year ago.

Hegseth impeachment clock restarts

The war is also now a House floor issue. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., introduced a new 34-page resolution with eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth on Monday. Three of the articles accuse him of abusing Pentagon powers by waging war against Iran without congressional authorization.

The resolution also cites operations in Yemen and the Caribbean, the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, and the Pentagon's scrutiny of Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.

Massie first introduced articles in September. House GOP leaders recessed early and pushed a vote to November, and the new filing complies with parliamentary procedure, according to a source familiar with the effort. It restarts a two-day clock for GOP leaders to schedule a vote.

Trump called Massie a "stone cold loser." "Pete Hegseth won two wars," he said. Hegseth said, "We're not worried about that," and plans a news conference Tuesday morning, Nov. 10.

A House vote could come as early as this week. Rubio's G7 talks in Paris, and Iran's response to Trump's "status quo" posture, are the next signals on whether the proposal Qatar carried to Washington goes anywhere.