President Donald Trump indicated on Monday that there is "positive momentum" toward resolving the conflict with Iran, following discussions with Qatar's Prime Minister at the White House.
Trump stated on Truth Social that he had an "excellent conversation" with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, during which "much was discussed with respect to the Islamic Republic of Iran." The meeting with the Qatari leader, who serves as a key mediator in the Iran conflict, marks Trump's first with a foreign head of state since his party's significant losses in the midterm elections. In the preceding weeks to the vote, speculation was rife that U.S. strikes against Iran were imminent.
However, Trump has recently downplayed the prospect of resuming hostilities, while leaving the possibility of further strikes open. In his social media post, Trump reiterated that the United States was "locked and loaded," but expressed belief that additional strikes were "quite unlikely," citing the preference of key U.S. allies in the Gulf for maintaining the "status quo." He concluded, "We are seeing positive momentum toward an end to this Conflict, and will ensure that America's interests are at all times protected." Trump's remarks align with earlier statements made over the weekend, when he told CNN that a resumption of fighting was "highly unlikely."
Meanwhile, Iranian officials have voiced defiance against continued pressure from Washington. Mohsen Rezai, Iran's top security official, posted on X late Monday, characterizing the U.S. as acting like a "desperate gambler" and urging Washington to "fold your hand. Stop manufacturing fake news about imaginary talks." Earlier, Tehran's chief negotiator, Mahammad Bagher Ghalibaf, also claimed on X that Israel was compelling the U.S. toward deeper involvement in the conflict, asserting that "unless Washington drops the 'Israel First' mindset, America and its allies are headed straight for a dark age."
On the ground in Iran, strikes, which have not been publicly confirmed by the U.S. military, are reportedly continuing, according to Iranian authorities. The provincial deputy governor stated on state television that the island of Qeshm, situated in the Strait of Hormuz, was targeted overnight between Sunday and Monday. Trump has previously acknowledged that the highly unpopular conflict with Iran was a contributing factor, at least partially, to the Republican party's electoral defeats, notably due to its impact on rising prices within the U.S. economy.
