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US President Donald Trump has declared that the war with Iran is “militarily effectively over”, signalling that Washington is unlikely to resume large-scale military strikes against Tehran in the immediate future.
Trump made the remarks on Monday at the White House after meeting with Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who has been involved in efforts to mediate between Washington and Tehran.
“Iran, militarily, is effectively over. We’re just keeping it the status quo,” Trump told reporters.
He claimed that Iran’s military capabilities had been severely weakened but stressed that the United States still wanted a long-term agreement to ensure Tehran could not develop nuclear weapons.
Trump said there was positive momentum towards ending the conflict and expressed optimism that it would conclude fairly soon.
However, he warned that US forces remained ready to resume military action if circumstances changed.
“At this point, taking 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 Trump’s remarks, the US naval blockade on Iranian ports remains in place, while limited military operations have continued.
Meanwhile, Qatar has been working to advance negotiations between the two sides to bring an end to the conflict.
