Trump: War With Iran 'Effectively Over'11/10 06:09

   President Donald Trump on Monday told reporters he believes the war in Iran 
"militarily is effectively over," suggesting that -- at least for now -- he's 
not prepared to resume the bombardment that has devastated the Islamic Republic 
and caused reverberations across the global economy.

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump on Monday told reporters he 
believes the war in Iran "militarily is effectively over," suggesting that -- 
at least for now -- he's not prepared to resume the bombardment that has 
devastated the Islamic Republic and caused reverberations across the global 
economy.

   The president made a surprise visit to the White House briefing room after 
meeting earlier in the day with Qatar's prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin 
Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.

   "Iran militarily is effectively over," Trump said. "We're just keeping it 
the status quo."

   He added that Iran has been "decapitated" but said he is still looking to 
make sure there's a long-term solution to ensuring that Iran's nuclear program 
is defanged.

   It was some of Trump's most definitive comments about moving away from his 
threat to resume strikes on Iran after the U.S. midterm elections had passed.

   The president's Republican Party lost both chambers of Congress to Democrats 
in last week's elections. The elections were shadowed by dissatisfaction among 
the American electorate over the 8-month-old war, which has led to a surge in 
fuel prices that's impacted nearly ever sector of the global economy.

   Trump, over the course of the conflict, has repeatedly said he is on the 
cusp of ordering U.S. forces to escalate attacks if Iran's leaders don't 
quickly agree to U.S. terms to end the war, only to back down. In earlier 
cycles, he has also edged away with a last-minute declaration, sometimes at the 
behest of Gulf allies, that he's going to give diplomacy more time.

   In a posting on social media shortly before speaking to reporters, Trump 
once again asserted that Middle East allies -- Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, 
Bahrain, Kuwait and others -- "would prefer the status quo." Minutes later, in 
his exchange with reporters, he sought to assure war-weary Americans that there 
was "positive momentum" and that he saw a "good chance" that the war "could get 
ended."

   "They're talking to us, and they're talking very politely, And we'll see 
what happens," Trump said. He added, "The military action doesn't seem to be a 
very necessary thing, but we're locked and loaded, ready to go for any reason 
that changes."

   Trump, however, gave no hint of a drawdown of the thousands of U.S. troops 
who have been shifted to the waters off of Iran and maintain a naval blockade 
to stem the flow of Iranian oil into the global market.

   "We're keeping it going. We have the greatest military blockade ever," Trump 
said.

   Qatari officials last week presented proposals on Iran's nuclear program, 
according to two Middle East government officials familiar with the matter who 
spoke on the condition of anonymity.

   The White House declined to comment, though Trump last week alluded to 
ongoing indirect talks with Tehran.

   All the while, Tehran continues to insist on several concessions from the 
U.S., which Trump has declined in the past. Among the core demands Iran says 
must be met before engaging in nuclear talks: ending the U.S. blockade on 
Iran's ports, lifting sanctions, unfreezing its assets, issuing compensation 
for war damage and ending hostilities throughout the region, including Israeli 
operations in Lebanon.

   Earlier Monday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has come under fire over 
the conflict, said the next steps on the war are up to Trump, including the 
possibility of telling Iran: "Hey, we're done, and we're going to watch your 
nuclear material. You better not move it."

   The defense secretary has been one of the administration's most prominent 
defenders of the war. Critics say the administration launched the war without 
proper authorization, violated the War Powers Resolution and subverted 
congressional war-declaring powers.

   Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky moved Monday to force a vote to 
impeachHegseth, largely over his execution of the war.

   Trump told CNN in a phone interview Sunday that as long as the U.S. sees 
progress in negotiations with the Iranians and they sign a "strong agreement," 
it's "highly unlikely it's going to be necessary" to resume strikes.

   Trump said, however, that the U.S. had identified infrastructure targets, 
including 38 bridges, that it would strike if military action resumes.

   The U.S. military, meanwhile, still has carried out limited strikes on Iran, 
including against its air defenses, at least twice over the past week. It also 
fired on and disabled a commercial ship Saturday that the U.S. says was trying 
to breach its naval blockade on Iranian ports.