United States President Donald Trump has told aides he is willing to end the war with Iran without forcing the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, despite Iran’s refusal to unblock the vital waterway. According to a Wall Street Journal report, Trump concluded that a military operation to reopen the strait could extend the conflict beyond his preferred four to six week timeline.

Instead, the president is focusing on weakening Iran’s naval forces and missile stockpiles before scaling back hostilities and increasing diplomatic pressure to restore normal trade flows. If those efforts fail, United States officials may encourage allies in Europe and the Gulf region to take the lead in securing the strait. The White House press secretary indicated that Arab nations could be asked to share the military burden.

Trump recently granted Iran a ten day cooling off period after Tehran allowed eight oil tankers to pass through the strait and paused planned strikes on key energy infrastructure. He described the move as progress in diplomacy, warning that failure to comply with United States demands could result in attacks on Iran’s power facilities. The conflict, which began with coordinated strikes by the United States and Israel on February 28, has disrupted shipping through the strategic waterway and sharply reduced global energy traffic.