"We've requested that we delay it a month or so," Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday.
China's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump's requested delay in his scheduled March 31-April 2 trip to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping underscores how the Iran war has upended his foreign policy agenda.
It also risks magnifying tensions between Washington and Beijing, as the Mideast crisis has joined trade and Taiwan among the spectrum of issues separating the world's two biggest economies.
Iran has responded to joint US-Israeli attacks by threatening to fire on vessels moving through the strait, through which its own ships continue to transit at near-normal rates.
Trump has called on numerous nations, including China, to help ships safely transit the Strait of Hormuz, where one-fifth of the world's oil transits on a daily basis.
Trump's request for assistance so far has largely been rebuffed. China, which imported around 12 million barrels of oil daily in the first two months of 2026, most in the world, has not directly responded to his request.
"The president looks forward to visiting China," spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
"The dates may be moved. As commander-in-chief, it's his number-one priority right now to ensure the continued success of this operation, Epic Fury. So we'll keep you posted on the dates as soon as we can."
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