Trump says Iran’s ‘present’ is 10 tankers through Hormuz, he doesn’t care if there’s a deal
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More news: Trump revealed at his cabinet meeting what he had cryptically described earlier in the week as a “present” from Iran. He said Iran had allowed 10 Pakistan-flagged oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz as a goodwill gesture toward negotiations.
Trump initially said Iran had let through “eight boats of oil,” then added two more had also passed, bringing the total to 10. “I hope I haven’t messed up your negotiations,” he told special envoy Steve Witkoff after making the revelation.
“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,‘” Trump said. “I said, well, I guess we’re dealing with the right people,” he added.
The disclosure came as Trump’s Friday deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face US strikes on its energy infrastructure loomed. Trump refused to confirm whether the deadline would hold, saying he didn’t know “yet” and leaving the door open to an extension.
When asked whether he was willing to do a deal amid reports his administration was keen to end the war, Trump said “I’m the opposite of desperate. I don’t care,” adding there were “a lot of targets” he still wanted to hit.
Asked whether the US would consider taking over Iran’s oil, Trump said: “I mean, I wouldn’t talk about it, but it’s an option.”
Trump unsure if the US ‘willing’ to do a deal with Iran, Witkoff confirms 15-point peace plan
The news: Trump said he did not know if the US would be “willing” to do a deal with Iran, even as special envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed for the first time that Washington had delivered a 15-point “action list” to Tehran via Pakistan and said Iran was “looking for an off-ramp.”
What they said: “They are begging to work out a deal. I don’t know if we’ll be able to do that. I don’t know if we’re willing to do that,” Trump said at a White House cabinet meeting.
“They’ll tell you, ‘We’re not negotiating.’ Of course, they’re negotiating. They’ve been obliterated. We have other targets we want to hit before we exit,” he added.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he was confident oil shipping through the Strait of Hormuz would “continue to increase on a daily basis, even before we secure the straits.”
US Vice President JD Vance told the cabinet that Iran’s conventional military had been “effectively destroyed,” adding “that gives us options.”
Hegseth added Iran was “privately admitting very heavy losses.” The mixed signals came after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard-affiliated Tasnim news agency, citing an unnamed official, said Tehran had rejected the US plan as a “deception” and responded with five counterproposals. Those included demands for war reparations and international recognition of its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.
The sources: The White House, The New York Times , The Associated Press
