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US President Donald Trump told his aides in recent days that he wants to avoid a protracted war in Iran, and that he hopes to end the conflict in the coming weeks, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The newspaper quoted informed sources as saying that Trump told his advisors during private conversations that he believes that the conflict is in its final stages, and urged them to adhere to the time frame he set publicly, which ranges from 4 to 6 weeks.
According to people familiar with the matter, White House officials planned to hold a summit in mid-May with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, hoping that the war would end before the meeting.
The newspaper quoted what it described as an informed person, saying that Trump told one of his aides that the war distracted him from his other priorities.
According to a senior US administration official, one of the ideas that Trump presented to his advisors is to ensure that the United States obtains part of Iran’s oil as part of any agreement to end the war, but the official said that there are currently no plans underway to achieve this goal.
According to the newspaper, which quoted American officials, Trump is reluctant to send forces to Iranian territory, partly because it may hinder his goal of ending the conflict more quickly, and he also fears that the number of dead and wounded American forces will rise if the war continues, according to what the Wall Street Journal reported.
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