Trump Says Iran Gave “Very Big Present” Over Strait of Hormuz

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Iran delivered a “very big present” related to the Strait of Hormuz, signaling progress in potential talks to end the ongoing war.

Trump’s statement came a day after he postponed threatened attacks on Iran’s power plants and revealed that Washington was in negotiations with unidentified Iranian figures. Tehran, however, denied participating in any talks.

“They did something yesterday that was amazing. They gave us a present, and it arrived today. It was very big and worth a tremendous amount of money,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “That meant one thing to me – we’re dealing with the right people.”

The president said the “gift” was “oil and gas-related” and confirmed it was linked to reopening the Strait of Hormuz for oil traffic. He clarified it was not connected to Iran’s nuclear program, but repeated that Iran had agreed never to acquire nuclear weapons.

Negotiations “With the Right People”

Trump did not reveal who he was negotiating with in Tehran but said talks involved “top people” eager to reach a deal.

He described the situation following the death of former Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei and other top officials, calling it a “regime change” with new leaders very different from the previous ones.

US officials involved in the negotiations include Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, envoy Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Reports of Witkoff and Kushner traveling to Pakistan for talks were not confirmed.

Pakistan Offers Mediation

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered to mediate and help bring peace to the region. He said he spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and promised Islamabad’s support.

Trump jokingly criticized Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, saying he “didn’t want it settled” because he wanted to keep striking Iranian targets. Hegseth added, “We see ourselves as part of this negotiation as well. We negotiate with bombs.”