US President Donald Trump said on Monday there was momentum toward ending the war with Iran, as he declared that the country “militarily, is effectively over,” but kept open the possibility of new strikes.

Trump met at the White House with Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani — a key mediator in the Iran war. It was his first meeting with a foreign leader since his party’s massive losses in the midterm elections.

Trump later posted on Truth Social that the two leaders had “an excellent conversation” and that “much was discussed with respect to the Islamic Republic of Iran.” In the weeks leading up to the midterms, there was widespread speculation that US strikes against Iran would resume soon after.

However, Trump has talked down resuming the conflict while leaving the door open to further strikes —a position he reiterated Monday at a White House press briefing.

“Iran, militarily, is effectively over. We’re just keeping it the status quo,” Trump told reporters. “But if we do have to go back in, we are locked and loaded, and ready to go.”

In his post, Trump said that he believed further strikes were “quite unlikely” given that key US allies in the Gulf “would prefer the status quo.” “We are seeing positive momentum toward an end to this Conflict, and will ensure that America’s interests are at all times protected,” Trump said.

‘Imaginary talks’

Iranian officials meanwhile expressed defiance at the continued pressure from Washington.

The Islamic republic’s top security chief, Mohsen Rezai, wrote on X late Monday that the US “flails like a desperate gambler,” telling Washington to “fold your hand. Stop manufacturing fake news about imaginary talks.”

Earlier, Tehran’s top negotiator Bagher Ghalibaf claimed on X that Israel was pushing the US deeper into conflict, adding that “unless Washington drops the ‘Israel First’ mindset, America and its allies are headed straight for a dark age.”

On the ground in Iran, strikes — which have not been publicly acknowledged by the US military — are continuing, according to Iranian authorities.

The island of Qeshm, located in the Strait of Hormuz, was targeted overnight from Sunday to Monday, the provincial deputy governor stated on state television.

Trump has acknowledged that the highly unpopular war with Iran was at least partially responsible for the Republicans’ defeat, not least because it has contributed to rising prices in the US economy.