Trump Claims Iran Allows 10 Oil Tankers as "Gift" to the US

US President Donald Trump stated that Iran has allowed 10 oil tankers to cross the Strait of Hormuz as a “gift” to the United States. Trump made this remark during a cabinet meeting on Thursday (26/3/2026).

Quoted from CNBC on Friday (27/3/2026), Trump described the move as a signal of goodwill from Tehran amid the ongoing conflict dynamics.

According to Trump, Iran initially indicated it would allow eight oil tankers to pass as a gesture of goodwill. However, the number was later increased.

“They said, ‘to show that we are serious and solid, we will let you have eight oil tankers’,” Trump said.

“They said, ‘we will send two more ships’, making a total of 10 ships,” he continued.

Trump admitted he initially did not pay much attention to the “gift” until he saw media reports. He mentioned watching news coverage showing tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

“I wasn’t thinking about it much, then I watched the news, and they said there were eight ships passing through the middle of the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.

He then concluded, “I think we are dealing with the right party.”

Maritime intelligence company data shows that several oil and gas tankers have indeed been passing through the Gulf area since the beginning of the week.

Some of them are known to be heading to countries such as China, Thailand, Singapore, and India, while other destinations have not yet been confirmed.

The Strait of Hormuz is a vital route for global energy trade. Around 20 million barrels of oil per day, or nearly a quarter of the world’s sea-distributed oil, pass through this area.

Since the Middle East conflict that has lasted nearly four weeks, Iran has been known to slow down shipping traffic in the strait, triggering concerns over energy supplies, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.

In a proposal reported by Iranian media, Tehran even proposed conditions to have sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz as part of efforts to end the conflict.