
Iranian crude oil tanker, Sevda, sails near Bandare Asaluyah, Iran, on Jan. 27, 2026. Sam/ Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images
U.S. President Donald Trump said on March 26 that Iran had given the United States a “present” in the form of several boats carrying oil.
To show that they were serious and reliable, Iran had planned to send more than eight large vessels of oil, he said. He initially thought nothing of it, but then he saw a news report stating that eight ships were moving through the Strait of Hormuz.

