Trump Says Iran Gave US A Hormuz ‘Gift’ Related To ‘Oil, Gas’

Washington, March 25: US President Donald Trump has said that Iran has given America a “present” worth a “tremendous amount of money”, related to the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial waterway that has remained virtually closed since the US-Israeli strikes that started the war on February 28, causing global oil and gas prices to soar. The US leader stressed the gift was not related to Iran’s nuclear programme but to “oil and gas”. However, he did not specify exactly what it was.

The cryptic remark came a day after the American president postponed his threat to attack Iran’s power plants by five days and decided to move back to the negotiation table with Iran for a deal to end the war. Tehran, however, has denied being part of any truce-related talks.

What Trump Said

“They did something yesterday that was amazing, actually. They gave us a present, and the present arrived today. And it was a very big present worth a tremendous amount of money. I’m not going to tell you what that present is, but it was a very significant prize,” Trump said while speaking to reporters at the White House.

“That meant one thing to me — we’re dealing with the right people.” The American commander-in-chief said the ‘present’ Tehran sent him was related to oil and gas as the countries look toward a potential ceasefire. “It was oil-and-gas-related,” he added, without offering further details. He described the “gift” as “very significant.” Asked if it was related to the Strait of Hormuz– a key oil shipping channel through which roughly one-fifth of global oil supply passes– Trump answered affirmatively. “It was related to the flow and to the strait,” he said.

The US president stressed that the present was not related to Iran’s nuclear programme but repeated his claim that the Iranian side “agreed they will never have a nuclear weapon.”

What’s Happening At Hormuz

Shortly after Trump’s claim, Iran, in a message circulated by the International Maritime Organization, assured safe passage to “non-hostile vessels” going through the strait, the gateway which connects the Persian Gulf to the rest of the world. Iran had already in recent days said it was not targeting friendly nations, although many vessels have shied away as insurance companies refuse to take risks. Tehran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the war with the US and Israel. Iran’s attacks on ships have stopped nearly all tanker traffic.

The US first tried its hand at a diplomatic solution to the Strait of Hormuz problem last week when President Trump called for a new international coalition to send warships to the strait. But America’s closest allies turned him down, resulting in Trump saying the US could manage on its own. On Friday, he suggested other countries would have to take over as the US eyes an exit from the war. Hours later, he indicated the waterway would somehow “open itself.”

The Truce Talks

The US leader has not yet revealed who the United States is negotiating with in Tehran, saying only that it is a “top person.” “We’re actually talking to the right people, and they want to make a deal so badly,” Trump said. ormer Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei was killed on the first day of the joint Israeli-US air campaign, and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, has not been seen in public.