Trump signals readiness to de-escalate after Iran's largely symbolic attack

The Hill

7 hours ago

The White House is signaling it is open to de-escalation in the Middle East after Iran's retaliatory strikes Monday appeared to be largely symbolic and did not cause any casualties.
Iran fired more than a dozen missiles at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, a response to U.S. strikes over the weekend that targeted three Iranian nuclear facilities. But Iran provided advance notice of the strike, a signal that Tehran was not looking to provoke additional American military action.
'I am pleased to report that NO Americans were harmed, and hardly any damage was done. Most importantly, they've gotten it all out of their 'system,' and there will, hopefully, be no further HATE,' President Trump posted on Truth Social.
'I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured,' Trump added. 'Perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region, and I will enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same.'
Trump met with members of his national security team in the Situation Room on Monday as the White House monitored the Iranian strikes on the base. The president's response came just hours before he is expected to leave for the NATO summit, where he will meet with allies in The Hague.
'Congratulations world, it's time for peace!' Trump posted on Truth Social.
The Department of Defense said the attacks were from short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles. Roughly 10,000 U.S. troops are stationed at the base, which Trump visited last month during a trip to the Middle East.
A spokesperson for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Qatari air defenses 'thwarted the attack and successfully intercepted the Iranian missiles.'
Qatari officials had closed the nation's airspace in anticipation of the strikes, citing 'concern for the safety of citizens, residents, and visitors.' The U.S. Embassy in Qatar had also advised U.S. citizens in the country to 'shelter in place until further notice,' saying the alert was issued 'out of an abundance of caution.'
Iran's actions Monday came at a precarious moment in the Middle East, and it puts the spotlight back on Trump and his appetite for engaging militarily in the region. It has become a rare subject of division among some of Trump's supporters, and the president himself has sent mixed signals in recent days.
While Trump has touted Saturday's operation targeting three Iranian nuclear facilities as a success, others in the administration have been more circumspect about whether Iran's nuclear facilities were fully destroyed.
'Final battle damage will take some time, but initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction,' Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Dan 'Razin' Caine told reporters Sunday.
Since Saturday, Trump has left the door open to future strikes if Iran retaliates, and he mused Sunday about the idea of regime change in Iran in a social media post.
'If the Iranian regime refuses to give up their nuclear program or engage in talks … why shouldn't the Iranian people rise up against this brutal, terrorist regime?' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday. 'That's a question the president raised last night. But as far as our military posture, it hasn't changed.'
Trump also boasted in a post Monday about the U.S. nuclear arsenal in response to comments from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev about supplying nuclear warheads to Iran.
Some officials who have worked with Trump argued his instinct would be to avoid further escalating the conflict, however.
'He's not going to get involved in regime change or boots on the ground. He's going to stop at stopping this nuclear program,' said one official who served in Trump's first administration.
Taylor Budowich, a senior White House official, suggested in a post on the social platform X that Trump had eliminated an obstacle to diplomacy by targeting Iran's nuclear program with a military strike.
'Their manic pursuit of nukes was the kryptonite to making a deal, because the leaders just couldn't bring themselves to giving them up,' Budowich wrote. 'Thankfully the regime has been released from that burden—there is no better time than now for peace.'
The president has in recent weeks been subject to lobbying publicly and privately from advisers and allies over how to handle the conflict between Iran and Israel, which sparked up nearly two weeks ago when Israeli forces attacked Iranian nuclear sites and killed top military officials.
Some allies had urged Trump to take decisive, targeted action against Iran, arguing it was a leading sponsor of terror groups and that its pursuit of a nuclear weapon risked national security.
Other fervent Trump supporters, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), had argued engaging directly in the Middle East would contradict the president's pledge to avoid new foreign conflicts.
'He's made the case, and I think just about all of his MAGA followers are behind him, that the Iranian nuclear program posed a significant threat to U.S. national security,' the former Trump administration official said. 'Stopping Iran from getting the bomb is part of 'America First.' Most people in the MAGA movement are standing with him on this.'
Members of Congress will be able to probe the administration about next steps on Iran on Tuesday.
Officials will hold a classified briefing at 3 p.m. EDT for the House, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) announced, adding, 'Hopefully, they will present it in a manner that's comprehensive. It will be probed, it will be tested, it will be aggressively pushed back against, and then we'll see what the outcome is.'
Meanwhile, markets are bracing for the possibility Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz. The president called on everyone to 'keep oil prices down' Monday morning, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also warned against shutting down the strait, calling on China, Iran's most crucial oil customer, to help keep it open.
About 20 million barrels, or 20 percent of global consumption, flowed through the strait in 2024, and markets in China, India, Japan and South Korea would likely be the most impacted by a closure.
'I can assure you the administration is actively and closely monitoring the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, and the Iranian regime would be foolish to make that decision,' Leavitt said Monday.