When speaking about the Strait of Hormuz and its closure to United States and Israeli vessels, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed Iran gave him a “present.” “They’re going to make a deal. They did something [Monday] that was amazing, actually. They gave us a present,” Trump said.
Trump said he could not disclose what the gift was, but said it was “oil and gas-related” and was connected to the Strait of Hormuz.
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“The present arrived today, and it was a very big present worth a tremendous amount of money,” he said, according to a quote published by Fox News. While speaking to reporters in the White House Oval Office, Trump said that the Iranian leadership sent him the gift on Monday, and it arrived on Tuesday.
The Iranian regime was previously charging some tankers millions of dollars to pass through the global shipping choke point, according to a report from Iran International.
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Iran has also ordered federal agencies not to cooperate with the regional government and said it “will appoint a committee responsible for facilitating the formation of a new South West State administration, which will conduct elections and ensure proper governance.”
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Trump also claimed that this “present” was “significant.”
“That meant one thing to me — we’re dealing with the right people,” Trump said. “… It was a very nice thing they did. … They said they were going to do it, and it happened. And they’re the only ones that could have done it.”
When Trump was asked about who would be in control of the Strait of Hormuz going forward, he replied that the U.S. could take it if it wanted. He said that we will “have control of anything we want.”
Trump said that the negotiations revolve around making sure Iran will not have any nuclear weapons. The U.S. would be in control of the narrative and all diplomatic actions going forward, if Trump can be believed.
“They can’t have certain things,” Trump said. “It starts with no nuclear weapons, and they’ve agreed to that. … They’re not going to have enrichment — any of those things. … We are in about the best bargaining position. We’re way ahead of schedule.”