Trump says Iran war is 'effectively over': How the conflict unfolded

President Donald Trump stated that there is positive momentum toward ending the conflict with Iran, suggesting the war could end fairly soon. During a news conference, Trump noted that Tehran has been talking "very politely," though he reiterated that U.S. forces remain "locked and loaded" and ready to strike if necessary. Business Standard IN reports the conflict follows eight months of airstrikes, retaliatory attacks, and failed ceasefire attempts.

On Monday, Trump met with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani at the White House to discuss strategies regarding Iran. The New Straits Times noted that the meeting with the Qatari leader, a key mediator, was Trump's first with a foreign leader since his party's midterm election losses. While Trump told CNN over the weekend that fighting resuming was highly unlikely, he stated on Truth Social that the U.S. will ensure its interests are protected.

According to the New Straits Times, Trump believes further strikes are quite unlikely because key U.S. allies in the Gulf prefer the status quo. BBC World added that the president says the U.S. is maintaining the status quo but remains prepared should the situation in the Middle East change.

Brief written by urgent.news from Business Standard IN, Middle East Eye, CBS News, New Straits Times, BBC World — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.