Trump says Iran’s 'gift' was allowing 10 oil ships through Hormuz

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the “gift” from Iran he had referenced days earlier was Tehran’s decision to allow 10 oil-carrying ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, describing the move as a sign the two sides may be “dealing with the right people.”

Speaking during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Trump recounted watching footage of vessels transiting the waterway, initially seeing “eight boats going right up the middle,” before Iranian officials indicated two more would follow. “They then apologized … and they said we’re going to send two more boats, and it ended up being 10 boats,” he said.

Trump framed the gesture as a potential opening for diplomacy while warning that military pressure would continue if talks fail.

Iran has not confirmed any such gift, but on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in televised comments that Iran has "permitted passage through the Strait of Hormuz for friendly nations including China, Russia, India, Iraq and Pakistan." 

Trump urged Tehran to agree to a deal to end weeks of US and Israeli strikes, saying that Iran's leaders now have “the chance … to permanently abandon their nuclear ambitions and to join a new path forward.”

At the same time, he warned that if Iran does not engage, “We’re their worst nightmare," saying, "We’ll just keep blowing them away.”

While Trump claimed Iranian officials were signaling interest in an agreement — and described them as “great negotiators” — he acknowledged uncertainty over whether a deal would materialize. “I don’t know if we’ll be able to do that,” he said. “I don’t know if we’re willing to do that.”

His remarks came as his top Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, struck a more optimistic note during the cabinet meeting, pointing to “strong and positive messaging and talks” after presenting Pakistan with a 15-point framework aimed at ending the conflict.

“We will see where things lead, and if we can convince Iran that this is the inflection point, with no good alternatives for them, other than more death and destruction,” Witkoff said, reading from a binder of scripted notes.

“We have strong signs that this is a possibility, and if a deal happens, it will be great for the country of Iran.”

Iranian officials have publicly denied there have been any negotiations with the United States since the war started on Feb. 28.

On Wednesday, Iran’s state-backed Press TV reported that Tehran had "responded negatively" to the American proposal. Araghchi later clarified that while no direct dialogue or negotiation with the US had occurred, messages had been exchanged through intermediaries.

"Messages being conveyed through our friendly countries and us responding by stating our positions or issuing the necessary warnings is not called negotiation or dialogue," Araghchi told state television, drawing a distinction between informal exchanges and formal talks.

On Thursday, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed his government had facilitated indirect communications between the US and Iranian officials.

“US-Iran indirect talks are taking place through messages being relayed by Pakistan," Dar wrote on X. “The United States has shared 15 points, being deliberated upon by Iran."

Earlier in the cabinet meeting on Thursday, Witkoff briefly recounted failed negotiations he led with Iranian officials alongside Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in the weeks before the US launched the war.

Witkoff said the White House’s demands were refused by Iran’s negotiating team, leading him and Kushner to believe Tehran was seeking to buy time.

“We heard the following statement: They would not give up diplomatically, but we could not win militarily,” Witkoff said on Thursday.

“In other words, they were again miscalculating the success of Midnight Hammer, which was a total success,” he said, referring to June 2025 US air and naval strikes that buried — but did not destroy — Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles. Trump has repeatedly claimed the strikes “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program.

“These are incontrovertible signs … that the regime had not given their negotiating team authority to make a deal,” Witkoff said.

This developing story has been updated since initial publication.