Trump says no need for China's help on Iran as shippers seek way through Hormuz

WASHINGTON/DUBAI — U.S. President Donald Trump has said he does not expect to need China's help to end the war in Iran and ease Tehran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz, in remarks made before he arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for a summit with President Xi Jinping.

The war is expected to feature in talks between Trump and Xi over the next two days, but Trump downplayed Beijing's potential role in ending the conflict, which has choked off traffic through a key waterway that typically carries about one-fifth of the world's oil supply. "I don't think we need any help with Iran.

We'll win it one way or the other, peacefully or otherwise," he told reporters in Washington before departing for China.

Iran has appeared to firm up its control over the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, cutting deals with Iraq and Pakistan to ship oil and liquefied natural gas from the region, according to sources with knowledge of the matter.

Iranian officials have signalled they see that control as a long-term strategic goal.

An army spokesperson said supervision of the waterway could generate revenue amounting