Since US President Trump mentioned two days ago that Iran gave the US a big gift, it has sparked speculation. The President revealed the nature of this gift on Thursday (March 26th) at the White House. He stated that Iran allowed a total of 10 oil tankers to pass through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz as a “gift,” indicating their seriousness in negotiations to end the conflict.
At a cabinet meeting held at the White House, Trump publicly disclosed the Iranian gift. He mentioned that Iran viewed this as a gesture of goodwill towards negotiating with the United States.
“They (Iran) said, ‘To show that we’re sincere, we want to see that we’re not all talk. So the great nation of Iran will allow your eight tanks to go through, and they’re big ones, big ones,’” Trump said, ‘I think they are right, I think they are being very truthful, I also think those tankers have the flag of Pakistan.’
The President also stated that Iran apologized for their previous remarks and subsequently allowed two additional oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, making it a total of 10 tankers.
On Tuesday (March 24th), Trump first mentioned the big gift from Iran at the White House. He mentioned that the gift was valuable, “It’s not about nuclear, maybe it is about oil. You’re going to find out.”
However, at that time, the President refused to disclose what the exact gift was to the media.
After US and Israel launched a joint combat operation against Iran, Iran blocked the shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, leading to a significant increase in global oil prices. The strait is one of the world’s most crucial energy chokepoints, transporting about one-fifth of the global oil supply.
Trump has been seeking to resolve the navigation issues in the waterway and has previously urged countries to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz for protection.
During the cabinet meeting on Thursday, when asked if Iran has the right to charge transit fees for passing ships, Trump responded that they should not have the right to charge, but they indeed did in some capacity.
Israeli Defense Minister Katz announced on Thursday that the Israeli military had eliminated Alireza Tangsiri, a key figure responsible for blocking the Strait of Hormuz. Tangsiri was the naval commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran.
Katz stated that this targeted killing operation demonstrated to American allies the assistance provided by the Israeli Defense Forces in reopening the Strait of Hormuz.