New York [US], March 28: President Donald Trump on Thursday revealed, for the first time, why he has faith that Iran is willing to negotiate a peace deal, even as missiles continue to fly across the region.
Iran, he said, allowed eight oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz as a show of good faith, and then sent through two more as an apology - collectively, the "present" he teased on Tuesday. "I said, 'Well, I guess we're dealing with the right people,'" Trump said during a 90-minute Cabinet meeting, his first since the war with Iran began nearly a month ago.
The White House declined to provide further details about the tankers, which Trump said he believed were flying the Pakistani flag. Trump also did not elaborate on who the "right people" were that the US is talking to.
But its framing as a "present" from Iran to Trump helped bridge the gap between the president's optimism that a deal could be reached and the reality in the Middle East where Iran, Israel and the United States are still firing barrages of missiles. That dichotomy ran through the meeting, during which the Cabinet offered its most expansive public defence of the operation yet - while struggling to answer what comes next.
While Trump and multiple Cabinet members insisted that Iran was ready to negotiate, the details were sparse and the signals were mixed.
Special envoy Steve Witkoff said Trump's "preference is always peace and that we should make that our priority," while Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the United States would continue "negotiating with bombs."
"War is negotiation by other means," Hegseth added. The meeting laid bare the dual-track strategy Trump is pursuing as he attempts to negotiate an end to the war. Witkoff outlined, for the first time publicly, the reasons why pre-war diplomacy failed - Iran, he said, refused to give up enrichment, and had enough enriched material to make 11 atomic bombs - and confirmed news reports of the 15-point peace framework the US sent to Iran this week.
The president said he is keeping his options open, noting that he is ready to make a peace but he also might seize Iran's oil. The war might soon be over but he also wouldn't rule out sending in troops to confiscate Iran's uranium.
Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered brief, measured remarks during the meeting. Both made the retrospective case that the war was necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, an argument notably focused on justifying the conflict's beginning rather than charting its end.
The president's optimism - and his continued insistence that the war will soon come to an end - comes as public opposition to the war is hardening.
A recent Fox News poll found that 58 percent of voters oppose military action in Iran, including 64 percent who disapprove of how Trump is handling the US's relationship with the country, up from 57 percent in January. His overall disapproval rating is now at 59 percent, the highest for either of his terms. (Agencies)
Source: Qatar Tribune
