Trump Signals Possible End to Iran Conflict, Cites 'Positive Momentum' After Qatar Talks

Washington: US President Donald Trump has indicated that efforts to end the US-Iran conflict are gaining momentum following his meeting with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani at the White House, while cautioning that American forces remain prepared for further military action if necessary.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and other regional countries favoured maintaining the existing US naval blockade of Iran alongside the newly launched Operation Iron Gate, which aims to restrict Iran's land-based supply routes.

Trump said these countries "would prefer the status quo" and shared their position that Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, describing the issue as "non-negotiable".

Iran, however, has consistently maintained that its nuclear programme is intended solely for peaceful purposes.

Despite indicating that the possibility of renewed US military strikes was currently low, Trump warned that Washington remained prepared to respond to any change in the regional situation.

"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," he said, adding that further military action appeared unlikely at this stage.

"We are seeing positive momentum toward an end to this Conflict," Trump said, without providing details of the diplomatic discussions or outlining a possible timeline for ending the confrontation.

During a White House press conference on Monday, the US President also claimed that Iran's military capabilities had been effectively neutralised.

"Iran, militarily, is effectively over. We're just keeping it the status quo," Trump said, adding that further military action did not appear necessary at present.

However, the assessment from the US administration has not been uniformly optimistic about the prospects of diplomacy.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that diplomatic efforts had made little headway and that an immediate breakthrough was unlikely.

Speaking to reporters at Homestead Air Reserve Base in Florida before leaving for a G7 Foreign Ministers' meeting in France, Rubio offered a cautious assessment of the ongoing diplomatic engagement, marking a shift from his position a week earlier, when he had declined to comment on the progress of negotiations.

"I don't have any progress to report to you," he said.

Rubio acknowledged that several countries were continuing to engage with Iran and explore different proposals, but cautioned against expecting an imminent breakthrough.

"I think you see some of these things that are out there; you have a number of countries that continue to engage them with different ideas. But I wouldn't say we're on the verge of a breakthrough," he said.

The Secretary of State reiterated that Trump preferred resolving international disputes through diplomatic channels whenever possible, although military options remained available.

"The President would always prefer to solve this and every problem diplomatically. Sometimes that's not possible, unfortunately. But if there's a chance to do it, we'll explore it," Rubio added.

The contrasting assessments from Trump and Rubio highlight the uncertainty surrounding efforts to end the confrontation. While the US President has pointed to encouraging signs, the administration has yet to announce a concrete diplomatic breakthrough or a clear roadmap for resolving the conflict.

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