US President Donald Trump said Iran allowed 10 oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz this week as a “present”, portraying it as a gesture of goodwill amid tentative and largely undisclosed engagement between Washington and Tehran.
Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, Trump said Iran took the step to show the US “the fact that we’re real and solid and we’re there”. He described how eight “big boats of oil” passed through the waterway earlier in the week, followed by two more later, noting that some vessels appeared to be “Pakistani-flagged”. “And I said, well, I guess we’re dealing with the right people,” he added, underscoring Islamabad’s emerging role in logistics as well as in supporting diplomatic backchannel efforts.
Trump indicated the development pointed to ongoing, albeit opaque, engagement. He maintained there are “very substantial talks going on with respect to Iran,” despite Tehran denying direct negotiations. He also recalled spotting unusual tanker movement in news reports. “I watched the news and they said something’s unusual happening. There are eight boats going right up the middle of the Hormuz Strait,” he said, adding, “Eight big tankers loaded up with oil right through. And I said, well, I guess they were right.”
