Trump says US war in Iran ‘effectively over’ as he plays down escalation concerns

Donald Trump has said that the war in Iran is “effectively over” as he played down concerns that the US would escalate its military campaign against Tehran after the midterm elections.During a White House press conference, Trump said that Israel and Gulf allies in the region were well protected from Iran and that an escalation was not needed.“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,” he told reporters during a briefing at the White House.The remarks followed talks in the Oval Office with the Qatari prime minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who has lobbied Trump alongside other Gulf countries not to resume the fighting against Iran.“We’re seeing momentum toward the end of this conflict. I think it’s going to be ending fairly soon,” he added.Trump has frequently exaggerated claims about the status of negotiations with Iran, saying a final peace deal was imminent dozens of times during the nearly nine-month long war.The US had continued to move troops to the Middle East in the run-up to the midterm elections. There was speculation that the Trump administration was waiting for the elections to take place before resuming a military campaign, in order to prevent a backlash at the polls.Republicans were nevertheless routed in a historic defeat in which they lost both houses of Congress, with the vice-president, JD Vance, declaring soon after that the Iran war was a key reason for the defeats.Trump earlier on Monday said on Truth Social that the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, and Kuwait would prefer the “status quo, in other words, a continuation of the Greatest Naval Blockade in History”.He repeated a mantra that Iran would not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, and added that if the situation changed then the US was ready to resume full-scale military action against Iran.“At this point, however, that seems to be quite unlikely,” he continued. “Israel, and the entire Middle East, are protected from Iranian danger and threats. We are seeing positive momentum toward an end to this Conflict, and will ensure that America’s interests are at all times protected. At the conclusion of this Military Engagement, the American People, and the World, will be far safer and more secure.”