Trump Says Military Phase of War with Iran Nearly Concluded and Defends Hegseth
US President Donald Trump considers the military phase of the conflict with Iran to be effectively concluded but does not rule out new strikes. He stated this on November 9 during an unscheduled briefing at the White House, which he held immediately after a meeting with the Prime Minister of Qatar.
According to Trump, Washington is maintaining the current state of affairs at the request of Iran’s neighboring states. In his assessment, there is no need to resume combat operations at present, though American military forces are prepared to return to them if the situation changes.
The President also assessed the prospects for Russia-Ukraine negotiations in Abu Dhabi: in his view, Moscow and Kyiv are inclined to end the war.
Separately, Trump defended Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, against whom Republican Congressman Thomas Massie introduced impeachment articles. Trump called Massie a loser and credited Hegseth with victories in Venezuela and Iran. Trump pledged to support the secretary even if the House of Representatives votes for impeachment.
Additionally, Trump spoke about a conversation with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who found himself at the center of an espionage scandal. The President called him a decent person and stated that Huang was unaware of his acquaintance’s possible ties to Chinese intelligence.
