EASTORA REPORT | Donald Trump says five Gulf countries want the United States to keep its blockade of Iran in place. One of them is Qatar, whose prime minister had just come to Washington to help negotiate an end to the war.
Following Monday’s meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait preferred the “status quo”: the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports, reinforced by a new operation aimed at restricting military supplies moving overland.
For Trump, keeping that pressure intact does not rule out a deal. In a separate interview with Reuters, he said Qatar and Saudi Arabia wanted a peaceful solution, but that American forces remained ready to strike Iran again. “We’re ready to go anytime we want,” he said, while indicating he was in no hurry to resume attacks.
His Truth Social message carried the same warning. The United States was “locked and loaded,” he wrote, although he described a renewed military offensive as unlikely and said there was positive momentum toward ending the conflict.
The new operation, Task Force Iron Gate, was announced by U.S. Central Command on Saturday. A team based in Florida will coordinate efforts to disrupt transfers of weapons, sanctioned materials and illicit revenue across Iran’s land borders and the Caspian Sea. It adds to the naval blockade rather than closing every road into Iran.
Qatar’s diplomacy runs through the same standoff. Tehran wants Washington to lift the naval blockade and release frozen assets as part of a phased deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Mediators have proposed steps that could be carried out over two days, but the sides remain divided over sanctions, inspections and the terms of a ceasefire. Al Thani later described his meeting as a discussion about reaching a deal and bringing peace to the region.
Trump says Gulf leaders agree that Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon. Tehran denies seeking one. No final agreement has been announced, leaving Washington’s blockade in place while Qatar pursues the negotiations intended to end it.