President Donald Trump said on Monday that the war with Iran is “militarily effectively over”, while making clear that the United States will keep its naval blockade of Iranian ports in place and remain ready to strike again if circumstances change.

Mr. Trump made the remarks after meeting Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the White House, and later in a surprise appearance in the press briefing room. “Iran militarily is effectively over,” he told reporters. “We're just keeping it the status quo.” He described renewed American attacks as “highly unlikely” but said US forces remained “locked and loaded”.

A pause, not a peace deal

The president's assessment does not amount to a formal end to the conflict. No ceasefire has been declared, and no peace agreement has been signed. The war, which began on February 28, 2026, when the United States and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran, is now in its ninth month. Open fighting has largely subsided in recent weeks, but limited strikes, attacks on shipping and the blockade continue.

Mr. Trump said he decided against resuming major strikes after appeals from Gulf neighbours — Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait — who he said would prefer the current posture to continue. He also announced a new effort, Operation Iron Gate, aimed at severing Iran's overland trading routes, alongside what he called “the greatest naval blockade in the history of our country”.

What Iran wants

Tehran has put forward a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days if Washington meets its demands: an end to the naval blockade of Iranian ports, a lifting of sanctions, the unfreezing of Iranian assets, compensation for war damage and a halt to bombing. Iran has also said it would invite international inspectors to its bombed nuclear sites, with renewed nuclear talks to follow.

The United States has not accepted those terms. Mr. Trump has said he still wants a long-term solution to ensure Iran's nuclear programme is “defanged”, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that American sanctions had been highly effective, so there was no need for major military action for now.

The strait remains the flashpoint

The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman through which a large share of the world's oil passes, remains at the centre of the standoff. Shipping through the strait is still about 65 per cent below pre-conflict levels, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations office, and the US Navy continues to enforce its blockade of Iranian ports, begun in April.

Asked why he would not formally declare the war over, Mr. Trump pointed to America's Gulf allies: “We have some great allies there and we have to make sure they're not hurt.” For now, the conflict sits in an uneasy middle ground — major combat paused, the blockade unbroken, and a diplomatic opening that neither side has yet taken.