Trump claims Iran war is mostly over

US President Donald Trump has said the war with Iran is “effectively over” and downplayed worries about the situation getting worse.

He spoke on Tuesday at a White House Conference, mentioning there was “positive momentum” for ending the conflict in Iran.

This statement followed a meeting with Qatar’s Prime Minister and main mediator, Mohammed Al Thani, in the Oval Office.

Mr Trump described their discussion as an “excellent conversation” about finding a way to stop the war.

“We’re just keeping it the status quo. And we’re doing that really at the behest of countries that are their neighbours,” he stated.

Mr Trump also said that while new attacks on Iran are “highly unlikely”, the US is “locked and loaded” if things change.

This is not the first time Mr Trump has claimed the Iran war is “militarily” over, but his situation has changed now.

His Republican Party faced a big loss in the midterm elections last week. Voters rejected many party candidates and gave Democrats a strong win.

This defeat was a clear message to President Trump, who had asked voters to act like he was on the ballot.

Republicans lost not just in close races but also in deep red states and areas Mr Trump had won by significant margins just two years ago.

Key officials in his administration, including Vice President JD Vance, blamed the Iran war for these losses.

Mr Trump himself also acknowledged that the conflict affected the election results.

In an interview with 60 Minutes that aired on Sunday, the president said he does not see “any reason” to make the conflict worse right now.

When asked why he hasn't officially declared the war over, Mr Trump noted that some Gulf allies might still face threats from Iran.

“We have some great allies there, and we have to make sure they’re not hurt,” he said.

With Democrats now in control of Congress, Mr Trump’s last two years in office will be different and could limit his plans.

The fallout from the election regarding the Iran war is already putting pressure on administration members.

Republican Congressman Thomas Massie has called for a vote in the House of Representatives to impeach Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

But Mr Trump has shown support for Mr Hegseth, who said he is not worried about the impeachment threats.

He described Mr Massie’s move as a “sham.”