Trump says Iran’s ‘present’ to US was allowing 10 oil tankers through Hormuz

WASHINGTON, March 26 (Reuters) – Iran has allowed 10 oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz in a clear sign of good faith in negotiations, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday.

Trump made the comments at a Cabinet meeting at the White House, detailing what he had previously described as a “gift” from Iran.

“They said, ‘We’re going to give you eight boats of oil, eight boats, eight big oil boats to show you that we’re real and solid and we’re there,'” Trump said. “I guess they were right, they were real, and I think they were Pakistani flagged… ​In the end, there were 10 boats.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for more details about the ships.

Trump’s comments came as he pressured Iran to reach a deal that would clear sea blockages and end its nuclear program.

The US president surprised some observers on Tuesday when he said Iran had granted the US an expensive energy concession. He refused to say exactly what he meant at the time.

“They gave us a gift, and the gift arrived today, and it was a huge gift, worth a tremendous amount of money,” Trump told reporters at the time.

(Reporting by Steve Holland and Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Caitlin Webber and Chizu Nomiyama)