Trump says Iran war's 'militarily' over, but US 'locked and loaded'

United States' President Donald Trump on Monday said that he believes the war in Iran "militarily is effectively over," after meting with Qatar's prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

"Iran militarily is effectively over," Trump said in a surprise visit to the White House briefing room. "We're just keeping it the status quo."

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However, Trump said the US military remains prepared to resume strikes if circumstances change, even as Washington looks for a long-term agreement to prevent Iran from pursuing its nuclear programme.

“Iran militarily is effectively over,” Trump said during an unscheduled appearance in the White House briefing room. “We're just keeping it the status quo.”

Trump said Iran had been “decapitated” and pointed to what he described as “positive momentum” towards ending the conflict. He did not provide details of the progress in negotiations.

“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.

The comments mark one of Trump's clearest indications yet that he may not resume military strikes on Iran after repeatedly threatening further action. He has said Washington wants a long-term solution that would ensure Iran's nuclear programme is defanged.

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Trump says Gulf nations favour status quo

In a post on Truth Social after his meeting with the Qatari prime minister, Trump said Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and other countries would prefer the current situation to continue.

“I had an excellent conversation with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, the Prime Minister of Qatar, wherein much was discussed with respect to the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he wrote.

“Most importantly, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and others, would prefer the status quo, in other words, a continuation of the Greatest Naval Blockade in History, and the new Operation Iron Gate — Therefore, Land and Sea.”

Trump reiterated that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons remained a non-negotiable condition.

“All have agreed that Iran cannot have a Nuclear Weapon — That is non-negotiable!” he said.

He added that the US was prepared to respond if the situation in the Middle East changed.

“Should there be any change with respect to developments in the Middle East, the United States of America is "locked and loaded" and ready to go. At this point, however, that seems to be quite unlikely,” Trump wrote.

He also said Israel and the wider Middle East were protected from Iranian threats and expressed confidence that the conflict would end with US interests secured.

“We are seeing positive momentum toward an end to this Conflict, and will ensure that America's interests are at all times protected,” he said.

US keeps military options open

Despite signalling a preference for negotiations, Trump said the US had identified infrastructure targets that could be hit if military action resumes. These include 38 bridges.

In a phone interview with CNN on Sunday, Trump said further strikes were “highly unlikely it's going to be necessary” if the US sees progress in negotiations and Iran signs a “strong agreement”.

The US military has continued limited operations against Iran over the past week, including at least two strikes on the country's air defences.

On Saturday, US forces fired on and disabled a commercial ship that Washington said was attempting to breach its naval blockade on Iranian ports.

Iran war weighs on US politics and global economy

Trump's comments come after his Republican Party lost control of both chambers of Congress to Democrats in last week's US midterm elections.

The eight-month-old war and the resulting rise in fuel prices had become key concerns for voters, with higher energy costs affecting businesses and consumers across the global economy.

The election results have added to the political pressure on the Trump administration as it weighs its next steps in the conflict.

(With inputs from AP)