White House staffers were reportedly left baffled by President Donald Trump’s claim on Tuesday that he had received a gift from Iran, about which he refused to disclose further details. Speaking in the Oval Office as he swore in Markwayne Mullin as Homeland Security secretary, Trump said: “They did something yesterday that was amazing, actually. They gave us a present and the present arrived today. It was a very big present, worth a tremendous amount of money.”
The president offered few clues, only revealing that the gift was “oil and gas related” and relevant to the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for global oil supplies. According to Politico’s West Wing Playbook newsletter, Trump’s cryptic remarks sowed confusion among his inner circle, with several sources saying they were “baffled by the president’s remarks.” The White House declined to answer follow-up questions.
Initial speculation that Trump might have been referring to the Omega Trader, a supertanker carrying 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude oil, was dampened after Bloomberg reported the vessel had not successfully traversed the strait. The president’s comments came amid heightened tensions with Iran, including reports of a 15-point peace plan and the deployment of elite paratroopers to the Middle East.
Trump also claimed to have entered “very good and productive” talks with Tehran and announced a five-day ceasefire, averting a planned bombing campaign. Iran, however, denied any negotiations, accusing the US of “negotiating with yourselves.” Trump responded by saying Iran needed “better public relations people.”
