US President Donald Trump said Monday that the conflict with Iran could be nearing its conclusion, expressing optimism about ongoing diplomatic efforts while warning that American forces remain prepared to resume military operations if necessary.
Speaking to reporters, Trump reiterated that preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons remained an absolute American requirement. "Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, and that’s a non-negotiable point. They understand that. They accept it, but they don’t admit that they accept it," he said, adding, "They will tell you that they don’t accept it, but they accept it 100 percent, more than 100 percent."
The President expressed confidence that additional military action would not be required, while emphasizing that the United States remained fully prepared for renewed strikes.
"The United States of America is fully locked and loaded, with the best equipment ever made," Trump stated. "And we don’t think there’s going to be any reason to use it, however. It’s going very well. We haven’t lost a soldier in six months."
Trump suggested that the military phase of the confrontation had largely concluded and that diplomatic efforts were moving toward a resolution.
"The military action doesn’t seem to be a very necessary thing, but we’re locked and loaded, ready to go for any reason," he said. "We’re seeing momentum toward the end of this conflict. I think it’s going to be ending fairly soon."
He also indicated that maintaining the current military posture reflected the preferences of Iran's neighboring countries, declaring, "Militarily, it’s effectively over. We’re just keeping it at the status quo, and we’re doing that really at the behest of countries that are their neighbors."
Addressing the ongoing diplomatic contacts, Trump said, "Iran is talking to us, and they’re talking very politely."
Nevertheless, he cautioned that negotiations did not guarantee an agreement and that Washington retained the option of renewed military action. "I don’t guarantee anything. But if we do have to go back in, we are locked and loaded and ready to go."
Trump also emphasized the importance of protecting American allies in the Middle East from Iranian threats.
"We have some great allies there, and we have to make sure they’re not hurt, and they would be hurt," he said. "They are right now a lot safer than they were six months ago, because Iran’s been very much decapitated, but they’re still the bully of the Middle East a little bit. We want to make sure they’re okay. We want to take care of people that have been very good to us over the years."
Earlier Monday, Trump told Reuters in a brief telephone interview that Qatar and Saudi Arabia favored a peaceful resolution to the confrontation, although the United States remained ready to act militarily.
Following a meeting with Qatar's prime minister, Trump said "Qatar would rather see a peaceful solution" but stressed that "we're ready to go anytime we want" with military strikes.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump provided further details about his discussions with the Qatari prime minister and the position of Gulf countries regarding the ongoing conflict.
"I had an excellent conversation with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, the Prime Minister of Qatar, wherein much was discussed with respect to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Most importantly, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and others, would prefer the status quo, in other words, a continuation of the Greatest Naval Blockade in History, and the new Operation Iron Gate - Therefore, Land and Sea. All have agreed that Iran cannot have a Nuclear Weapon - That is non-negotiable! 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. At this point, however, that seems to be quite unlikely," wrote Trump.
He added, "Israel, and the entire Middle East, are protected from Iranian danger and threats. We are seeing positive momentum toward an end to this Conflict, and will ensure that America’s interests are at all times protected. At the conclusion of this Military Engagement, the American People, and the World, will be far safer and more secure."
His comments followed an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes" on Sunday, during which he indicated that he saw no immediate need to escalate the conflict, although the United States continued monitoring Iran's nuclear facilities.
Asked whether he intended to resume military operations following last week's midterm elections, Trump replied, "Well, I'm not looking to. I don't think there's any reason to. I don't think there's any reason to. They have nothing. It's buried under thousands of tons of rock. And we have-- through Space Force, which I created, we have-- we have telescopic lenses that are unbelievable. I can-- I can tell the color of the red dots on your tie. And we watch every one of those-- sites, the three that we blew up, and also Pickaxe Mountain. If we needed to do Pickaxe-- we'll watch it. If we needed to do Pickaxe, which we don't at this moment, we would have that done in one hour, it would be taken care of."
Despite Trump's willingness to pursue diplomacy, Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned Sunday that negotiations with Tehran remained far from producing an agreement.
Speaking to reporters before traveling to Paris for a G7 meeting, Rubio acknowledged that several countries were continuing efforts to facilitate a diplomatic breakthrough but said little progress had been achieved.
"I don't have any wonder of progress to report to you. 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 at the verge of a breakthrough," Rubio said.
He reiterated that the administration preferred a negotiated outcome but would not rule out other options.
"The President would always prefer to solve every problem diplomatically. Sometimes that's not possible.But if there's a chance to do it, we will explore it."
Rubio also accused Iran of undermining the negotiations by presenting demands that Washington could not accept.
"Right now it hasn't been very productive because the Iranian demands are simply not just unacceptable, but in some cases outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic."