Donald Trump says the Iran war “militarily is effectively over” declaring that there is “positive momentum” behind negotiations to end the Middle East conflict.

“We’re just keeping it the status quo,” the US president said on Monday. “And we’re doing that really at the behest of countries that are their neighbours.”

Addressing reporters from the White House press briefing room, Trump said that renewed US attacks on Iran were “highly unlikely” but that the US was “locked and loaded” should the circumstances change.

Iranian officials have repeatedly expressed doubts about the US president’s prior comments about resolving the conflict.

Responding to a question over why he would not officially declare an end to the conflict, Trump said that some of the Gulf allies could still face Iranian aggression.

“We have some great allies there and we have to make sure they’re not hurt,” Trump said, suggesting that the US naval blockade on Iranian ports was helping to make the region more secure.

Trump hosted Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani in the Oval Office earlier on Monday, saying they had an “excellent conversation” about negotiations to end the war.

In a post on X, the Qatari prime minister said he held “positive discussions” with Trump and Vice-President JD Vance on “reaching a deal and bringing peace to the region”.

Efforts to broker a peace between Washington and Tehran have largely been held indirectly through mediators since the war first broke out following joint US-Israeli strikes in February.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and United Arab Emirates are among the US’s Gulf allies that have been hit by Iranian strikes over the course of the war, in addition to threat of strikes that have led to major air travel disruptions in the region.

Trump has hinted at de-escalation in Iran in the days since his Republican Party’s rout at the midterm elections on 3 November.

In an interview with 60 minutes that aired on Sunday, the president said he did not currently see “any reason” to escalate the war.

Ahead of the midterms, Trump said US forces conducted what he described as “minor strikes” on an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz.

Post-election recriminations over the US war in Iran are already placing pressure on members of the Trump administration. Republicans lost control of bothe the House and the Senate in the elections.

Republican congressman Thomas Massie launched a broadside against Trump’s Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday over the war in Iran, requesting a vote in the House of Representatives to impeach him.

Trump has backed Hegseth, who says he is “not worried” about the looming impeachment threats, calling Massie’s effort a “sham”.

While the move is unlikely to succeed with Republicans still in control of both chambers of Congress until January, Democrats have expressed willingness to impeach Hegseth once the new session begins.