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US President Donald Trump said that Iran is "virtually finished militarily," noting that there is "positive momentum" in negotiations aimed at ending the conflict in the Middle East.
This came after his meeting with the Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, whose country is contributing to mediation efforts between Tehran and Washington.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that he had an “excellent conversation” with the Qatari Prime Minister at the White House, and that the conversation mainly touched on Iran.
He added, "Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, and others prefer to maintain the status quo, that is, in other words, to continue the greatest naval blockade in history, and Operation New Iron Gate... and subsequently (the blockade) on land and at sea."
The United States has imposed a naval blockade on the Islamic Republic's ports 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.
In addition, last week, Washington announced the launch of a task force aimed at obstructing Iran’s trade routes across land and the Caspian Sea, saying that this aims to prevent it from importing weapons systems and banned materials.
Trump continued, "We see positive momentum toward ending this conflict, and we will make sure that the interests of the United States are protected at all times." While he stressed that Washington was ready to launch new strikes on Iran, he said that this was "highly unlikely."
He stressed: “We agreed that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon, and this is non-negotiable!”
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In a subsequent post, he reiterated his position, saying from the White House that “Iran, militarily speaking, is effectively finished. We are content to maintain the status quo. But if we have to return, we are fully prepared and equipped to act.”
"Iranian threat"
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In a related development, the Wall Street Journal reported that the US military evacuated aircraft from a second air base in Britain, on Monday, against the backdrop of an Iranian threat.
The newspaper quoted informed sources as saying that two refueling planes that were using Mildenhall Air Base were diverted to Germany, while other planes were transferred to Germany and various locations.
The exact nature of the threat targeting the base has not yet become clear, while the British Ministry of Defense has refrained from commenting on the military activities of other countries, noting that the movements of aircraft and military equipment are carried out on a regular basis in accordance with operational requirements.
This comes after the evacuation of American bombers from the British Fairford base last September, against the backdrop of a security incident suspected of being linked to Iran, which was followed by the arrest of five individuals near the base, and the subsequent arrest of two others on suspicion of assisting Iranian intelligence.
In recent weeks, Trump has threatened to resume strikes on the Islamic Republic. American media reported that this might happen after the midterm elections that took place last Tuesday.
However, the president told CNN on Sunday that a resumption of war was "highly unlikely," but he added, "I will do so if necessary, but we have dealt them very harsh blows."
Before the midterm elections, Trump said that US forces carried out what he described as “limited strikes” on an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz. But he said, in an interview with “60 Minutes” broadcast on Sunday, that he does not currently see “any reason” to escalate the conflict.
Trump had acknowledged that the war with Iran, which began with American-Israeli strikes in late February, was one of the reasons for the Republicans' defeat in the elections and the Democrats' control of Congress.
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