US President Donald Trump said that the war with Iran was “effectively over” in military terms, but acknowledged that US forces continued to maintain the blockade of Iranian ports and remained ready for further action. The statement was made after a meeting with Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Washington.
“Militarily, Iran is effectively over. We’re simply maintaining the current situation,” Trump said. According to him, military action does not currently appear necessary, but US forces are “ready for action” if the situation changes.
The president also said there had been “positive progress” toward ending the conflict and that he saw a “good chance” for an agreement. Trump said Iran was speaking “very politely” with US representatives, but did not specify when or where those contacts were taking place, nor did he present any concrete parameters for a potential deal.
Tehran denies that negotiations are taking place
Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, rejected claims of diplomatic progress. He urged Washington to stop producing “fake news about imaginary talks” and said it was time for the US to accept the seven conditions that Iran had repeatedly put forward.
“Stop producing fake news about imaginary talks,” Rezaei wrote.Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also said that his country could not be forced to make concessions through pressure. Earlier, he described the situation as “neither war nor peace,” while leaving open the possibility of negotiations.
The blockade and military forces remain in place
Despite Trump’s remarks about the war being over in military terms, the US has not announced an end to military operations. The US blockade of Iranian ports continues, while thousands of American troops remain in the region. According to The Associated Press, US forces carried out limited strikes against Iranian targets at least twice over the past week.
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait are insisting that the current situation be maintained, Trump said. He stressed, however, that Washington could resume strikes if it determined that this was necessary.
The Qatari prime minister confirmed that the meeting with Trump had included discussions on ways to advance talks between the US and Iran. So far, however, neither side has publicly confirmed an official agreement, a ceasefire or an agreed schedule for further negotiations.
Sources: apnews.com, timesofisrael.com, aljazeera.com