Washington’s heavy reliance on the Chinese minerals for its advanced weapon systems means China could dictate how long US strikes on Iran can go on, according to sources and analysts.

Sources told the South China Morning Post, on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, that Washington had only around two months of rare earths inventory, and the supplies would dominate talks when Trump sat down with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Beijing also appeared less eager for a deal than Washington, they added.

Trump said last week that he would push ahead with “ferocious, unyielding resolve” against Iran, projecting that US attacks – which began on February 28 – could last four to five weeks. But on Monday, he said the American military’s objectives in Iran had almost been met and that the crisis could end “very soon”.Marina Zhang, associate professor at the University of Technology Sydney’s Australia-China Relations Institute, said the US’ dependence on China’s rare earths would hand Beijing “significant indirect leverage over the duration and cost of potential conflicts”.