Donald Trump thanks Iran for ‘very big present’ but he won’t say what it is
(Picture: AFP)
Donald Trump has hinted at a mystery gift presented to him by an Iranian peace delegation as he threatens to send even more troops to the Middle East.
Around 3,000 troops from ‘The All American’, Fort Bragg-based brigade are said to be ready to be mobilised as the US President pushes Tehran to capitulate and end the war.
Asked if he trusts the Iranians, Trump said he doesn’t trust anybody but alluded to receiving a ‘gift’ that he said suggested ‘we’re dealing with the right people.’
‘They gave us a present, and the present arrived today,’ Trump said speaking at the White House on Tuesday.
‘It was a very big present worth a tremendous amount of money. And I’m not going to tell you what that present is, but it was a very significant prize.’
Pressed for more detail, Trump said it was ‘oil- and gas-related’ but went no further.
‘It was a very nice thing they did. But what it showed me is that we’re dealing with the right people.’
Trump told reporters Iran wants ‘to make a deal,’ and he claimed his team held talks with an Iranian leader.
He did not say who that was, but said the US has not talked to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, whose whereabouts are still unknown after a strike that killed his family triggered the war.
Since then, more than 2,000 people have been killed, the global economy has gone haywire, sending oil prices surging with missile strikes erupting all over the Middle East.
Iran has denied talks had been held. ‘No negotiations have been held with the US,’ Iranian parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf posted on X, adding that ‘fake news is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets.”
Trump threatened over the weekend to ‘obliterate’ Iran’s power plants unless the country releases its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of all traded oil passed before the war, within 48 hours.
Iran has insisted that ‘safe passage’ in the Strait of Hormuz is possible for non-enemies. Vessels with ties to China, India and Pakistan are among those that have already passed through.
Trump’s approval rating fell in recent days to its lowest point since he returned to the White House in response to his handling of the Iran war.
Americans’ views on Trump soured significantly with regard to his stewardship over the cost of living, as gasoline prices surgedand his promise to avoid ‘stupid wars’. The survey found 35% of Americans approve of the US strikes on Iran.
Iran can only muster 10 missiles a day
Israeli army spokesman Effie Defrin said in a televised statement that Iran fired dozens of missiles on Israel in the war’s first and second days but this number ‘dropped quickly’.
He attributed that to Israel’s continued strikes on military headquarters, launch sites and missile production sites across Iran.
Although the volume of missiles has decreased, Iran has kept up and indeed increased the pace of its launches, sending millions of Israelis into shelters multiple times a day, with failed interceptions causing deaths and injuries.
Now, Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif says his country is ready to ‘facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks’ to end the Iran war.
‘Subject to concurrence by the US and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honoured to be the host to facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks for a comprehensive settlement of the ongoing conflict,’ Sharif wrote on X.