Trump 'present' from Iran was safe tanker passage through Hormuz - report

The “present” US President Donald Trump said Iran had given Washington was allowing several fuel tankers to pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz, The Times of Israel reported, citing a senior Arab diplomat and a US official.

Trump said on Tuesday that Iran had given the United States a “present” worth a “tremendous amount of money,” without providing details, but described it as related to oil and gas and the strategic waterway.

The report cited an unnamed US official as saying that when Washington began passing along messages to Iran through mediators over the weekend in order to test whether a diplomatic off-ramp to the war was possible, it asked Tehran to make a gesture of goodwill.

In response, Iran agreed to allow a number of fuel tankers that weren't tied to the US or Israel through the Strait of Hormuz in order to help calm global markets, the report added citing an an unnamed Arab official.