President Donald Trump on Monday told reporters he believes the war in Iran “militarily is effectively over,” a day after he admitted the war as well as a “great dislike” for ‘Israel’ contributed to the Republicans lost in the midterm elections.
Trump 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 told reporters. “We’re just keeping it the status quo.”
He suggested that — at least for now — he’s not prepared to resume the bombardment on the Islamic Republic.
Trump on Iran: 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. https://t.co/49wdtHn294
— Clash Report (@clashreport) November 9, 2026
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 US midterm elections had passed.
“Great Dislike for Israel”
Earlier on Sunday, Trump said a “great dislike” for Israel was one of the reasons the Republicans lost in the midterm elections, along with the Iran war and the subsequent rise in gasoline prices.
“I think if I was on the ballot, it would’ve been a much different situation because you saw the level of popularity and love,” Trump said in an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday.
“But there’s something beyond that. They didn’t like the war. They didn’t like the fact that gasoline went up, ‘cause I had it down at a low, and there’s a great dislike, incredibly, for Israel.”
BREAKING: TRUMP ADMITS VOTERS DIDN’T LIKE THE IRAN WAR & THEY INCREDIBLY DISLIKE ISRAEL “The voters didn’t like the war. They didn’t like the fact that gasoline went up. And there’s a great dislike, incredibly, for Israel.” https://t.co/ngjTqtKvu9
— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) November 9, 2026
Trump’s comments underscore a sea change in US politics where ‘Israel’ once had bipartisan support, as well as strong backing from Republican and Democratic presidents. But the extent of US military and financial support for ‘Israel’ emerged as a frequent political liability during the midterm elections.
Trump said he agrees with Vice President JD Vance’s position that the war with Iran is among the reasons for the Republican loss. But he said he doesn’t regret his decision to launch the war.
“You can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon. I think, historically, this will be a very good decision. Is it a good decision for today and tomorrow? Maybe not. But you know, I have to go with what’s right for our country. If they had a nuclear weapon during my term, I would be excoriated far worse than what’s happened.”
Source: Al-Manar English Website