By Newswire Editorial
US President Donald Trump has told reporters that he believes the war on Iran is militarily “effectively over”, signalling progress towards ending the conflict following discussions with Qatar’s Prime Minister.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said renewed military action against Iran does not appear necessary at present, as negotiations with Tehran are progressing well.
“At this point, it won’t be necessary taking – the military action doesn’t seem to be very necessary but we’re locked and loaded, ready to go for any reason that changes,” he said.
Trump said the United States remains fully prepared to respond militarily if necessary, but expressed optimism that the conflict could end soon.
“We’re seeing momentum towards the end of this conflict. I think it’s going to be ending fairly soon,” he said, while cautioning that he could not make any guarantees.
The US President also revealed that he had held discussions with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani regarding developments involving Iran.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and other regional countries preferred maintaining the current situation, including the naval blockade and Operation Iron Gate.
He stressed that regional countries were united in their position that Iran must not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons.
“All have agreed that Iran cannot have a Nuclear Weapon – That is non-negotiable!” Trump said.
Asked why he had not formally declared an end to the war, Trump said Washington wanted to ensure the long-term protection of its regional allies.
He claimed that US military operations had significantly weakened Iran, making Israel and other Middle Eastern countries safer than they were six months ago.
Meanwhile, Qatar’s Prime Minister described his discussions with Trump and US Vice President JD Vance as positive.
In a post on X, he said the talks focused on the regional situation and ways to advance US-Iran negotiations towards an agreement that could bring peace to the Middle East.
Oil prices fall amid hopes for diplomacy
Meanwhile, global oil prices fell sharply on Monday amid renewed hopes of a diplomatic settlement to the US-Israel conflict with Iran.
Brent crude dropped 5.9 percent to USD 92.57 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude declined 4.4 percent to USD 86.85 per barrel, according to AFP.
The decline followed Trump’s comments downplaying the likelihood of further military strikes against Iran. (Newswire)