Washington DC: Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed that Iran gave the United States a "very big present.” Trump described it as a "significant prize," worth
a "tremendous amount of money," related to the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway critical for oil and gas supply. The strait has remained closed since the start of the conflict on February 28, triggering an oil crisis in the region. Trump hinted that the “gift” is linked to oil and gas. “They gave us a present, and the present arrived today. It was a very big present worth a tremendous amount of money, the US President told reporters on Tuesday. "It was a very significant prize," he added. Meanwhile, reports also surfaced that the gift was related to the sale of oil. According to a report by Al Jazeera, the gift Trump was talking about is the sale of 140 barrels of Iranian oil, which has been stranded due to the ongoing war. The Strait of Hormuz handles approximately a fifth of global oil shipments on any given day. Since the start of the war, the critical waterway has been virtually blocked by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), especially for the US and its allies. Trump made these remarks amid ongoing discussions with Iran to end the war. The US President confirmed that senior officials, including Vice-President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, were leading the negotiations. "We're in negotiations right now. They're doing it, along with Marco and JD, with a number of people doing it," he said in the Oval Office. Also Read: Pakistan To Mediate Iran‑US Talks? Trump Reposts PM Shehbaz Sharif's X Post. US Peace Plan: On Monday, the US President had postponed his threat to attack Iran's power plants by five days. Trump also reportedly sent a 15-point peace plan, hinting at ending a month-long war.
As part of the plan, Trump reportedly proposed a month-long ceasefire, and during this period, both nations would discuss a proposal, including banning Iran from further uranium enrichment and also handing over its enriched matter. Iran would also reportedly allow safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. In turn, all sanctions against Tehran would be lifted, and also it would receive assistance in developing civil nuclear energy at Bushehr.
The Middle East conflict started on February 28 after the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran, killing several of its top officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The conflict in the Middle East entered day 26 on Wednesday, with Iran and Israel reportedly attacking each other.
