Trump says US war in Iran is ‘militarily effectively over,’ suggests current ‘status quo’ to continue

President Donald Trump said on Monday that US military action in Iran is "effectively over," suggesting that the US will is unlikely to take further large-scale military action in Iran.President Donald Trump speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House Monday, Nov. 9. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)Trump's comments, which came after a closed-door meeting with Qatar's PM Sheikh Mohammed, are his most decisive since the Trump-led Republican Party suffered a rout in the US midterm elections last week.“Iran militarily is effectively over,” Trump told reporters at a White House briefing Monday. “We’re just keeping it the status quo.”The US has restricted its operation in Iran to sanctions, a naval blockade and targeted strikes since July 2026. Trump said that the status quo will remain, seemingly ruling out the possibility of future strikes.Meeting with Qatar PM crucial in peace talksTrump's Monday meeting with Qatar's prime minister was a key development in the talks between the US and Iran. Last week, Iran had sent a nuclear proposal to the US via Qatar, one of the mediators in the talks alongside Pakistan, subject to Washington meeting seven conditions laid out by Tehran.Also read: Iran sends nuclear proposal to US through Qatar, sets seven conditions for negotiations: ReportTrump did not reveal any details about what was discussed in the meeting with Sheikh Mohammed. But shortly after the talks concluded, Trump gave a brief interview to Reuters, in which he said that the US's allies in the Middle East are urging a peaceful solution. At the time, Trump had still not ruled out strikes, telling Reuters, "We can go whenever we want."Qatar's Sheikh Mohammed, meanwhile, said in an X post that the meeting with Trump went "great." He wrote: "We discussed the situation in the region and ways to progress the US-Iran talks. Grateful for the positive discussions on reaching a deal and bringing peace to the region."Moments later, Trump called a sudden White House briefing and announced that the US military action in Iran is "effectively over." He said that there is "positive momentum" in the talks but did not provide details. “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,” the 80-year-old said.Also read: Trump says Saudi Arabia and Qatar want peaceful solution to Iran war, but doesn’t rule out US strikes: ‘We’re ready to go’Iran's security chief calls US to 'surrender' to its demandMohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said in a X post that the US is spreading fake news and alleged that Washington is acting like a “desperate gambler”. It urged Washington to "surrender" to its seven demands."The war on Iran has already wrecked the US government. But Washington flails like a desperate gambler," Rezaei wrote on X. "FOLD YOUR HAND. STOP manufacturing FAKE NEWS about imaginary talks. Stop denying the West Asian NEW ORDER. Time to SURRENDER to the seven conditions Iran has repeatedly set out."