President Donald Trump said on March 24 that Iran had given the United States a gift after more than three weeks of escalating war with Iran.
At the swearing-in ceremony for new Secretary of Homeland Security Mark Wayne Mullin, President Trump was asked by a reporter why he would talk to Iran if he did not trust it.
“They’re going to make a deal. They did something really amazing yesterday. They gave us a gift, and that gift arrived today. It was a very big gift worth a huge amount of money,” Trump said.
President Trump said last week that Iran has no negotiators left. However, after issuing an ultimatum urging Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump extended the deadline, citing “very good and productive dialogue” between the two countries. Iran has repeatedly denied that these talks took place.
What did Iran gift the US?
Trump’s comments in the Oval Office were just a hint of what that might be.
“I won’t tell you what the present was, but it was a very meaningful award,” he said. “It wasn’t nuclear-related. It was oil and gas-related, and that was a very nice thing they did. But what it showed me is that we’re dealing with the right people.”
Asked about the gift on March 25, White House press secretary Caroline Levitt said President Trump would talk about it at a later date.
Iran rejects US ceasefire plan
USA TODAY reported on March 24 that U.S. officials have sent Iran a 15-point plan to end the war, and the military is also reportedly sending thousands of troops to the region. Details of the plan have not yet been made public.
On March 25, state media outlet Press TV quoted Iran as saying a senior political and security official called the proposed ceasefire “too far.”
Since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, thousands of people have been killed in the conflict, including about 1,500 in Iran and more than 1,000 in Lebanon. The conflict has caused oil and gas prices to soar.
(This article has been updated with new information.)
Contributors: Christopher Cann, Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY
Kinsey Crowley is a Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Please contact KCrowley@usatodayco.com. follow her X (Twitter), thread, blue sky and TikTok.
