Washington (United States) (AFP) - US President Donald Trump spoke Monday about pushing to end the conflict with Iran, noting that the war achieved its goals in terms of protecting Israel and the Middle East from the Iranian threat.

Published on: 10/11/2026 - 11:53

At the same time, Trump confirmed, hours after his meeting on Monday with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, whose country is contributing to mediation efforts between Tehran and Washington, that military mobilization is still in place “in case things change.”

Iran responded to Trump through its Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi by stressing that the only solution remains to deal with Iran’s demands and conditions through diplomacy, not war.

Trump told reporters on Monday, "Military action today does not seem necessary, but we are ready and equipped to take it if things change."

He added that the United States "did well" in the war, and "Israel and the entire Middle East are protected today from the Iranian danger and threats."

He continued, "We see a push towards ending this conflict. I believe it will end soon."

Trump spoke in the same direction through a post on social media in which he also said, "We see positive momentum towards ending this conflict, and we will ensure that the interests of the United States are protected at all times."

Commenting on his talks with the Qatari Prime Minister at the White House, he continued, “We agreed that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon, and this is non-negotiable!”

He renewed his position in that “Iran, from a military standpoint, is effectively finished. We are content with maintaining the status quo.”

Gulf and blockade

Trump indicated that “Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, and others prefer to maintain the status quo, in other words, to continue the greatest naval blockade in history, and Operation New Iron Gate... and next (the blockade) by land and at sea.”

The United States has imposed a naval blockade on the ports of the Islamic Republic since April, in response to Tehran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the US-Israeli war against it in February.

Last week, Washington announced the launch of a force aimed at obstructing Iran's trade routes across land and the Caspian Sea, to prevent it from importing weapons systems and prohibited materials.

However, lifting the blockade on the ports is one of the basic conditions for Iran to stop the war.

On Tuesday, the Iranian Foreign Minister told the official Iranian news agency IRNA, “The conflict with Iran will not be resolved by military means, nor by tightening sanctions,” adding that “the only solution lies in adopting the language of respect, engaging in diplomacy, and dealing with Iran’s requests and conditions contained in the two-day proposal that is still on the table.”

Tehran recently proposed through mediators to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which it closed at the beginning of the war, within two days of reaching an agreement, on the condition that Washington agrees to its conditions, namely ending the war in the Middle East on all fronts, releasing frozen Iranian funds, lifting sanctions on the Islamic Republic, and stopping the US naval blockade of Iranian ports.

Trump's recent positions do not differ from similar positions he made over the past weeks, but they come after a major loss suffered by his Republican Party in the US midterm elections to renew Congress.

Trump acknowledged that the war with Iran, which caused a significant rise in the prices of oil derivatives, was one of the reasons for the defeat of the Republicans in the elections and the Democrats’ control of Congress.

On Tuesday, Secretary of the Iranian National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, responded to Trump with a post on the “X” platform in which he called on Washington to “surrender.”

He said, "The war on Iran has destroyed the American government. But Washington is floundering like a desperate gambler."

He added, "Stop fabricating fake news about imaginary conversations," calling on Trump to "surrender."

© 2026 AFP

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