Trump says Iran’s ‘present’ was allowing a few oil tankers, including Pakistan-flagged, through Hormuz

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Iran was letting 10 ​oil tankers transit the Strait of Hormuz as an ‌apparent goodwill gesture in negotiations.

Trump made the comments at a Cabinet meeting in the White House, elaborating on what he ​had previously described as a “present” from Iran.

“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, eight ​boats, eight big boats of oil,” Trump said. “I guess they were right, and they were real, and I think they ​were Pakistani-flagged… It ended up being 10 boats.”

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The ​White House did not immediately respond to a request for more ‌details ⁠on the vessels.

Trump’s comments came as he pressed Iran to agree to a deal that would clear the maritime chokepoint and end its nuclear programme.

The US president ​on Tuesday ​had baffled ⁠some observers when he said that Iran had given the United States an ​expensive, energy-related concession. At the time, he ​declined ⁠to say what exactly he meant.

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“They gave us a present and the present arrived today, and it was ⁠a ​very big present, worth a tremendous ​amount of money,” Trump told reporters then.

Earlier this month, ship-tracking data showed a Pakistan-bound oil tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz, indicating that some countries were able to negotiate safe passage for their vessels despite the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Since the war began, Iran has attacked several ships in the Gulf, in effect closing the strait, conduit for a fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas, and driving up global energy prices.

Pakistan relies heavily on imported crude and refined fuels from Gulf producers, most of which come through the Strait of Hormuz.