[European natural gas prices stabilize, Trump says the crackdown on Iran will be short-term] On September 3, US President Donald Trump ruled out the possibility of long-term military action in the Middle East. The market rekindled expectations for negotiations to restart energy supply in the region, and the rally in European natural gas paused. Natural gas futures surged 10% in the previous three sessions to hit a more than three-year high, before benchmark futures retreated. As a new round of conflicts pushes up energy prices and markets worry about the unlimited expansion of the war, Trump said that follow-up attacks on Iran will most likely not last long, and once again claimed that the United States controls the Strait of Hormuz. European natural gas contract prices are still more than twice the pre-war level, and natural gas inventories on the European continent are at unusually low levels this winter, exacerbating market concerns about intensifying competition for global gas sources in the cold season.