Trump: Military action on Iran 'doesn’t seem necessary,' but US is 'locked and loaded'
Trump signals readiness for action but sees no immediate need against Iran
President Donald Trump said late on Monday (Nov. 9) that further military action against Iran may not be needed, but that the US stands ready if circumstances change.
He called the US ongoing military "engagement" against Iran's regime as the "greatest naval blockade in the history of our country, probably in the history of the world...nothing has gotten through, having a very devastating effect on Iran."
He spoke after an “excellent conversation” with Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
“Much was discussed with respect to the Islamic Republic of Iran... At this point, taking the military action doesn’t seem to be a very necessary thing — but we’re locked and loaded ready to go for any reason,” Trump said.
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He also said Iran is “militarily, effectively over,” and that the US is keeping the status quo through a naval blockade.
He added that he does not guarantee anything, but that if the US has to go back in, it is locked and loaded.
Trump stressed that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, calling it non-negotiable.
Meanwhile, Marine traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains "well below normal but not stalled".
UKMTO’s latest weekly report counted 170 outbound and 155 inbound transits, about 65% below pre-conflict levels, with most transponder-on vessels using the Iranian route to the north.
JMIC said independent tracking showed single-digit to low double-digit daily transits, while US naval shipping-coordination data recorded about 30 US-facilitated transits a day from Nov. 5 to 7. UKMTO cautions that it cannot independently verify all US-reported movements.
The war began Feb. 28 with US-Israeli strikes.
Qatar is mediating, the US blockade continues and a CentCom operation, Iron Gate, targets Iran’s land and Caspian routes.
Trump has recently said he would resume strikes "only if needed", while Tehran demands the blockade end.
What’s next
Watch Qatar’s mediation and Iran’s response, any breach of the blockade, and whether Trump’s tone holds. He gave no guarantee, so renewed strikes remain possible if talks stall.
