US President Donald Trump has declared that the war in Iran is “militarily effectively over”, signalling that Washington is not currently planning to resume its large-scale bombing campaign against the Islamic Republic.
Speaking unexpectedly to reporters at the White House on Monday, Trump said the United States was maintaining the current situation following a meeting with Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
“Iran militarily is effectively over. We’re just keeping it the status quo,” Trump said.
He claimed Iran’s military leadership had been “decapitated”, but stressed that Washington still wanted a long-term agreement to ensure Tehran could no longer pursue its nuclear programme.
The remarks marked one of Trump’s clearest indications yet that he was moving away from previous threats to intensify military strikes against Iran following last week’s US midterm elections.
Trump’s Republican Party lost control of both chambers of Congress to the Democrats in the elections, which were overshadowed by public dissatisfaction over the eight-month-long conflict and its impact on global fuel prices and the wider economy.
Throughout the war, Trump has repeatedly threatened to escalate military operations unless Iranian leaders accepted US demands, only to step back and allow more time for diplomatic efforts.
In a social media post shortly before his White House appearance, Trump said Middle Eastern allies, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait, preferred maintaining the current situation.
He later told reporters that negotiations were showing “positive momentum” and expressed confidence that there was a “good chance” the conflict could come to an end.
“They’re talking to us, and they’re talking very politely. And we’ll see what happens,” he said.
Trump added that further military action did not appear necessary at present, although US forces remained ready to respond if circumstances changed.
“The military action doesn’t seem to be a very necessary thing, but we’re locked and loaded, ready to go for any reason that changes,” he said.
Despite his comments, Trump gave no indication that Washington would withdraw the thousands of US troops deployed near Iran or end its naval blockade aimed at restricting Iranian oil exports.
“We’re keeping it going. We have the greatest military blockade ever,” he said.
Qatari officials reportedly presented proposals concerning Iran’s nuclear programme last week, according to two Middle Eastern government officials familiar with the matter.
However, Tehran continues to demand several concessions before agreeing to nuclear negotiations, including an end to the US blockade on Iranian ports, the lifting of sanctions, the release of frozen assets, compensation for war damage and an end to hostilities across the region, including Israeli military operations in Lebanon.
Earlier on Monday, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the next steps in the conflict were ultimately Trump’s decision.
He suggested Washington could declare an end to military operations while continuing to monitor Iran’s nuclear material, warning Tehran against moving it.
Hegseth has been among the administration’s strongest defenders of the war, which has faced criticism from lawmakers over its authorisation and compliance with the War Powers Resolution.
Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky also moved on Monday to force a vote on impeaching Hegseth, largely over his handling of the conflict.
In a phone interview with CNN on Sunday, Trump said further strikes were highly unlikely if negotiations continued to make progress and Iran agreed to a strong deal.
However, he warned that Washington had identified infrastructure targets, including 38 bridges, that could be attacked if military operations resumed.
Meanwhile, US forces have continued carrying out limited strikes against Iranian targets, including air defence systems, at least twice over the past week.
American forces also fired on and disabled a commercial vessel on Saturday, claiming it had attempted to breach the naval blockade on Iranian ports.
