Trump Claims Iran Sent Oil Shipments Amid Backchannel Talks

Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei and United States President Donald Trump

Trump Claims Iran Sent Oil Shipments Amid Backchannel Talks

U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed that Iran dispatched ten oil tankers to the United States as part of indirect negotiations aimed at easing ongoing tensions between the two nations.

According to a report by Sky News on Friday, March 27, 2026, Trump made the assertion while speaking at the Future Investment Initiative in Miami. He suggested that the shipments were a gesture of goodwill, possibly intended as an acknowledgment of ongoing diplomatic engagements.

“It turned out I was right,” Trump said, referring to earlier claims that talks were underway between Washington and Tehran—claims initially denied by Iranian authorities. “They were negotiating, which they admitted two days later.”

Providing further details, Trump stated that Iran had first proposed sending eight oil ships before increasing the number to ten. “They said, ‘we’re going to send you eight ships of oil.’ They actually said, ‘we’re going to add an extra two,’ and they added an extra two,” he said. “So we had ten ships, and then people realized we were actually negotiating.”

Trump also struck a confident tone regarding developments in the Middle East, declaring that the region was “closer than ever” to being free from what he described as Iranian “terror, aggression and nuclear blackmail.”

However, Iranian officials have firmly rejected the claims of formal negotiations. Authorities in Iran insist that no direct talks are taking place with the United States, maintaining that any communication occurs strictly through third-party intermediaries, including Pakistan.

Tehran’s continued denial underscores the sensitive nature of any potential engagement with Washington, particularly amid domestic political pressures and broader regional dynamics.

The contrasting narratives highlight the uncertainty surrounding U.S.-Iran relations, with both sides presenting differing accounts of ongoing diplomatic efforts.