Luke Vargas

Here is your Morning Brief for Thursday, March 26th.

I'm Luke Vargas for The Wall Street Journal.

Nearly a month into the war in Iran, President Trump has privately told advisers that he believes the conflict is in its final stages and hopes for a diplomatic solution to bring it to an end within weeks.

President Trump tells aides that he wants a speedy end to the Iran war.

Plus, a look at the traders making big money on last-minute bets tied to White House policy.

And after unearthing hundreds of millions of carats, Rio Tinto exits the diamond business.

It's Thursday, March 26th.

I'm Luke Vargas for The Wall Street Journal, and here is the AM edition of What's News, the top headlines and business stories moving your world today.

Nearly a month into the war with Iran, President Trump has privately told advisers that he believes the conflict is in its final stages and hopes for a diplomatic settlement to bring it to an end within weeks.

That was Trump speaking at an event in Washington last night.

We report that while there are no easy options for ending the war and the president still has objectives like securing U.S.

access to some of Iran's oil, Trump's attention has at times shifted.

In discussions with political allies, Trump has begun focusing on November's midterms, tightening voter eligibility rules and addressing long lines at airports.

Close advisers also want him to prioritize the most pressing issue facing voters, concerns about the cost of living, which have been exacerbated by the war.

Meanwhile, facing the risk of tariffs on top of war-related costs, EU lawmakers are today voting on whether to back a trade deal reached with the U.S.

last year.

Our Kim McRaehl is in Brussels.

To cushion against changes in U.S.

policy, EU lawmakers have made the bloc's tariff cuts conditional on Washington fulfilling its side of the bargain.

And while President Trump's tariff decisions, military strikes and sudden policy shifts over the past year have often moved markets, our reporting shows that there have been several occasions in which unusual trades have hit the tape just ahead of major announcements.