Trump says war with Iran is over

US President Donald Trump has said the war with Iran is "effectively over". He also downplayed fears about the war getting worse.

On Tuesday, he spoke at a White House Conference. He mentioned there was "positive momentum" to end the war in Iran.

These comments came after he met with Qatar’s Prime Minister, Mohammed Al Thani, in the Oval Office. Trump called their talk an "excellent conversation" about peace talks.

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

Trump noted that while new attacks on Iran are "highly unlikely", the US is still "locked and loaded" if things change.

This is not the first time Trump has claimed the Iran war is "militarily" over. But this time feels different for him.

His Republican Party faced a big defeat in the midterm elections last week. Many voters turned away from the party and gave Democrats a strong win.

This loss was a major political blow for Trump. He had asked voters to think of him as being on the ballot.

Republicans did not just lose in tight races but also in states they usually win easily. Some of these areas Trump had won by wide margins just two years ago.

Key figures in his team, including Vice President JD Vance, have pointed fingers at the Iran war for the election losses.

Trump himself also said the Iran war played a role in how the elections went.

In a recent interview with 60 Minutes, he said he sees no reason to make the conflict worse right now.

When asked why he hasn’t officially declared the war over, 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, Trump’s last two years in office will change. This will also make it harder for him to push his plans.

Discussions about the war in Iran are already putting pressure on his team.

Republican Congressman Thomas Massie has called for a vote to impeach Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

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

Hegseth described Massie’s push as a "sham".