The US defence secretary James Mattis has said his country is not in Iraq "to steal anybody's oil" on a surprise visit to Baghdad.
Mr Mattis, who is in the country to get a first-hand assessment of the continuing fight against so-called Islamic State, distanced himself from remarks made by President Donald Trump.
"I think all of us here in this room, all of us in America have generally paid for our gas and oil all along and I'm sure that we will continue to do so in the future," Mr Mattis told reporters.
"We're not in Iraq to seize anybody's oil."
In January, President Trump told CIA staff: "We should have kept the oil. But okay. Maybe you'll have another chance."
It is a familiar theme for Mr Trump, who, as long ago as 2011, told the Wall Street Journal that this was his policy for Iraq.
"You heard me, I would take the oil," he said, claiming it amounted to reimbursement for the cost of the Iraq war, rather than theft.
It is not the first time the pair have disagreed, as Mr Trump has admitted he and Mr Mattis differ on the usefulness of torture as an interrogation tactic, but the president has said he will defer to his defence secretary.
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