Trump Declares Iran War 'Effectively Over' After Qatar Talks

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said on Monday that the war with Iran is militarily "effectively over," telling reporters after a closed-door White House meeting with Qatar's prime minister that he sees no need to resume strikes on Iran.

"Iran militarily is effectively over," Trump said in a surprise appearance in the briefing room, adding: "We're just keeping it the status quo." He said a resumption of strikes was "quite unlikely" and pointed to "positive momentum" toward ending the conflict. He added that Iran has been "decapitated," but said he still wants a long-term solution on its nuclear programme. Trump said Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait would prefer the status quo — the naval blockade and the new Operation Iron Gate land campaign — to continue, while warning the United States remains "fully locked and loaded" if the situation changes. The shift follows days of warnings that fresh strikes could follow the limited strikes on Qeshm Island last week.

Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who met Trump and Vice President JD Vance for 45 minutes, called the discussions positive and said they covered "ways to progress the US-Iran talks." Iranian officials dismissed Trump's remarks as a distraction, and Trump has yet to say whether he accepted Tehran's two-day framework for ending the war. Oil markets moved fast on the remarks: Brent crude settled down $5.75 at $92.57 a barrel.