Trump says Iran war to end 'fairly soon'

US President Donald Trump said further US military action against Iran was no longer necessary and that the war could end soon, signalling that he has little appetite for renewed strikes as diplomatic efforts gather pace.

"At this point, taking the military action doesn’t seem to be a very necessary thing … I think it’s going to be ending fairly soon," Mr Trump said at the White House on Monday, after a meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman.

Mr Trump's remarks suggested Washington was increasingly looking towards a diplomatic end to the conflict rather than a resumption of military operations.

In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump said regional countries including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar favoured maintaining the US naval blockade of Iran, rather than launching further attacks.

"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 wrote. "At this point, however, that seems to be quite unlikely."

Mr Trump said he was maintaining the current position at the request of regional allies. "We're just keeping it the status quo," he added. "And we're doing that really at the behest of countries that are their neighbours."

The comments followed an appeal from Sheikh Mohammed, who met Mr Trump and Vice President JD Vance at the White House after visiting Tehran last week.

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Constant state of danger takes toll on shipping crews in Hormuz

Sheikh Mohammed, whose country has played a central role in mediating between Washington and Tehran, described the discussions as positive. "Grateful for the positive discussions on reaching a deal and bringing peace to the region," he said in a post on X.

But Tehran has pushed back against suggestions that negotiations are making progress. Iran's Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohsen Rezaei accused Washington of fabricating reports of peace talks, after Mr Trump said discussions were going well.

"The war on Iran has already wrecked the US government," Mr Rezaei wrote on X, as he urged Washington to stop reporting "imaginary talks". "Time to surrender to the seven conditions Iran has repeatedly set out," he added.

Midterms fallout

The diplomatic activity comes amid mounting pressure on the Trump administration to bring the conflict to an end, after a bruising defeat for Republicans in last week's US midterm elections.

Senior Republican figures, including Mr Vance, have linked the party's losses to the war and its economic consequences, with rising fuel prices and disruption to international shipping adding to concerns among voters.

Washington and Tehran are still far apart over the terms of a settlement. Iran has proposed ending the US blockade of its ports, easing some sanctions and halting American and Israeli bombing in return for Tehran ending its own restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme and other sanctions would follow.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday described Tehran's conditions as "outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic". Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei defended the plan on Monday as the most reasonable offer available.

Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed, also cautioned against assuming a comprehensive settlement was close, warning the region should prepare for a prolonged period of uncertainty. "We should ... prepare for a long period of uncertainty in which neither a decisive resolution nor stable regional order can be taken for granted," Dr Gargash said.

Show caption: Military activity has continued in the Strait of Hormuz, wit…

Military activity has continued. Iranian state media reported that US forces struck Qeshm Island at the weekend. A provincial official told Iran's Fars news agency that the attacks had not affected vital infrastructure or services. Washington has not publicly commented on the reported strikes.

The targets reportedly included radar systems used for air defence and maritime navigation, as well as bases associated with missile launchers and mine-laying equipment.

Attacks on commercial vessels in the Gulf and strait have also continued. Maritime agencies said strikes against tankers increased sharply in October and remained at their highest rate since the conflict began.

Iranian state TV reported on Monday that 11 tankers had been disabled in the previous 10 days. Tehran also said on Sunday that a tanker had struck a mine to the east of the strait.

In Washington, the political fallout of the war is growing. Republican congressman Thomas Massie has called for a vote to impeach Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over his handling of the conflict. Mr Trump dismissed the effort as a "sham", while Mr Hegseth said he was not concerned.

Although the initiative is unlikely to succeed while Republicans retain control of Congress, Democrats have indicated they could pursue impeachment when they take control of both chambers in January.