United States President, Donald Trump, on Thursday said Iran allowed 10 oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz this week as a “present” to the U.S., offering new details about a claim he made earlier in the week.
“They said, ‘To show you the fact that we’re real and solid and we’re there, we’re going to let you have eight boats of oil … and they’ll sail up tomorrow,’” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting, referring to Iran.
He added: “They then apologized for something they said, and they said, ‘We’re going to send two more boats.’ And [it] ended up being 10 boats.”
The president’s remarks clarify his earlier statement that Iran had given the United States a “present” tied to oil and gas, a comment that had drawn questions after he failed to explain it at the time.
Trump spoke while maintaining that Washington is engaged in “very substantial talks” concerning Iran, despite repeated denials from Tehran that any direct negotiations are taking place.
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said during the meeting that Washington has received “multiple reach-outs from the region and others who want to play a role in ending this conflict peacefully.”
Witkoff also disclosed that the United States has put forward a 15-point peace framework, delivered through Pakistan acting as a mediator.
Earlier reports from Iranian state media indicated that Tehran rejected a U.S. ceasefire proposal and instead submitted its own conditions to end the conflict.
The reported counteroffer includes a demand for Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil route that has remained largely closed since the conflict began nearly four weeks ago, raising supply concerns, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.
Earlier in the week, Trump suggested the possibility of joint control of the strait by “me and the ayatollah” as part of a broader resolution.
Witkoff, however, stressed that negotiations remain confidential, saying Trump has instructed him to “maintain confidentiality on the specific terms and not negotiate through the news media.”
“I can say this, we will see where things lead,” he added.
Trump said he had not initially attached much importance to Iran’s actions until media reports highlighted unusual tanker movements.
“That was three days ago, and I didn’t think much about it,” Trump said. But while he was watching Fox News later on, he claimed, “They said, ‘Something’s unusual happening. There are eight boats that are going right up the middle of the Hormuz strait.”
“And I said, well, I guess they were right, and they were real, and I think they were Pakistani-flagged. And I said, well, I guess we’re dealing with the right people,” he said.
During the meeting, Trump and senior officials, including Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, said U.S. operations have significantly weakened Iran’s military capacity.
“We estimated it would take approximately four to six weeks to achieve our mission. And we’re way ahead of schedule,” Trump said.
Despite that, the president acknowledged that Iran still retains the capability to disrupt the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 million barrels of oil pass daily.
“The problem with the straits is this,” the president said. “Let’s say we do a great job. We got 99%. 1% is unacceptable, because 1% is a missile going into the hull of a ship that cost a billion dollars.”
“But I have a feeling it’s going to clean up pretty quickly,” he added.
(CNBC)