Trump told his assistant: even if the Strait of Hormuz is closed, he is still willing to end the war.

Trump is considering "pulling troops back" without resolving the issue of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. According to CCTV reporters on March 30th local time, according to US officials, President Trump has told aides that he is willing to end military actions against Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed. It is reported that the US government officials believe that forcibly reopening the waterway would extend military operations beyond the original 4 to 6 week timeframe. Based on this, Trump has decided to gradually end the current military operations after achieving the primary goals of weakening Iran's navy and missile capabilities. At the same time, he will instead use diplomatic pressure to push for Iran to restore shipping traffic. If diplomatic means fail, Washington will push European and Gulf allies to lead the effort to reopen the strait. After the news was disclosed, US stock futures rose, with S&P 500 index futures up 0.2% and Nasdaq 100 index futures up 0.1%. International oil prices fell back, and WTI gains narrowed to less than 1%. Contradictory positions of Trump The latest reports from the US media reveal that Trump has sent conflicting signals on the issue of the strait in the past month. He had threatened to bomb civilian energy infrastructure in Iran if the strait was not reopened within the deadline. But on other occasions, he downplayed the importance of the strait to the US, calling its closure a "problem that other countries need to solve." On Monday, Trump said on social media that the leadership in Iran has become "more rational", and then threatened to strike Iranian power plants, oil fields, and the oil export hub of Kharg Island if the Strait of Hormuz is not immediately "open for business." White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday that the US is "committed" to restoring normal operations in the strait, but has not included it in the core military targets of attacking Iran's navy, missiles, defense industry, and nuclear weapons capabilities. Military deployment alongside diplomacy Despite Trump's desire to end the war as soon as possible, US military deployments are still advancing. According to media reports, last weekend, the USS Tripoli and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit entered the region; Trump also ordered the deployment of some troops from the 82nd Airborne Division and is considering sending about 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East. At the same time, Trump has referred to this war as a "short trip" and "a pleasant stay", but reports indicate that he is also weighing a complex and high-risk operation to seize Iran's uranium reserves. Rich Goldberg, a former official of the Trump National Security Council and currently affiliated with the Washington think tank Democratic Defense Fund, believes that attacking Iran's military capabilities and reopening the strait are not contradictory, but rather have a sequence. "Once those strategic objectives are achieved, you will naturally focus on the Strait of Hormuz, because by then you have caused massive disruption to its external threats and can reallocate military resources to that task." Differences between allies and officials US Secretary of State Pompeo said in an interview with Al Jazeera on Monday that the current military operation will be completed in a few weeks. "By then, we will face the issue of the Strait of Hormuz, determined by Iran," Pompeo said, "or by a multinational alliance from around the world and the region, with US participation, to ensure that the strait is opened in some way." Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in an interview with Fox News that the US or a joint multinational escort could be an option, but his wording did not indicate the urgency of reopening the strait immediately. "The market supply is abundant, with more ships passing through every day because countries are reaching agreements with Iran individually," Mnuchin said, "but over time, the US will regain control of the strait, whether through US escort or multinational escort, and freedom of navigation will be guaranteed." However, Suzanne Maloney, an Iran expert at the Brookings Institution, strongly criticized this approach. She characterized ending the military operation before the strait reopened as "incredibly irresponsible" and warned, "The energy market is fundamentally global, and the US cannot isolate itself from the exponentially worsening economic losses that will occur if the strait remains closed." Economic cost of strait blockade The Strait of Hormuz is a central chokepoint for global energy trade. According to data from the US Energy Information Administration, about 20% of global oil supplies are transported through the strait; by 2024, 84% of crude oil and 83% of liquefied natural gas will flow to Asian markets through this transportation route. After Iran laid mines in the waterway and threatened to attack oil tankers, the number of passing ships dropped sharply. Industrial raw materials such as fertilizers and helium that depend on strait transportation faced shortages, affecting global food production and chip manufacturing. This month, nearly 40 countries, including Britain, France, and Canada, issued a joint statement saying they were "prepared to contribute to ensuring safe passage through the strait." This article is compiled from "Wall Street Observer" by the GMTEight editor: Li Fo.