WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Monday there was “positive momentum” toward a deal to end the Iran war after meeting Qatar’s prime minister at the White House. He told reporters he believes the war in Iran “militarily is effectively over” and “we’re just keeping it the status quo.” He added that Iran has been “decapitated” but said he is still looking to make sure there’s a long-term solution to ensuring that Iran’s nuclear program is defanged. Trump added in a post on Truth Social that a resumption of US military strikes on Iran was “quite unlikely,” saying that Gulf powers wanted to keep the status quo. “I had an excellent conversation with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani,” Trump said on Truth Social, adding that “much was discussed with respect to the Islamic Republic of Iran.” In his post on Monday, Trump reiterated that the US was “locked and loaded,” but that he believed further strikes were “quite unlikely” given that key US allies in the Gulf “would prefer the status quo.” “We are seeing positive momentum toward an end to this Conflict, and will ensure that America’s interests are at all times protected,” Trump said. Trump’s comments echoed early statements to CNN over the weekend when he said it was “highly unlikely” fighting would resume. Qatar Prime Minister ​Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said he ‌had ‌positive ​discussions ‌with US ⁠President ​Donald Trump ⁠and Vice President JD Vance ⁠on ‌Monday. “We discussed the situation in the region and ways to progress the US-Iran talks. Grateful for ‌the ​positive ‌discussions ‌on reaching a deal and ‌bringing peace to the ⁠region,” he ⁠said on X. Iranian security council chief Mohsen Rezaei meanwhile said on X the US should “stop manufacturing fake news about imaginary talks” and that it ⁠was “time to surrender to the seven conditions Iran has repeatedly set out.”