Washington is attempting to close the war with a combination of military punishment, energy suffocation, and indirect negotiation, based on the premise that the Persian regime only moves when it perceives that the cost of continuing resistance has become too high. From the Iranian side, however, the signal was ambiguous. If this partial opening is confirmed, the regime would begin to retreat in the use of the Strait as a tool of coercion, precisely at the moment when the war and the disruption of maritime traffic have pushed the oil market back into a state of maximum sensitivity. In parallel, diplomatic efforts are multiplying. Pakistan has offered to host talks, while Egypt and Turkey are mentioned as active intermediaries. Qatar, for its part, clarified that it is not mediating directly, although it supports all de-escalation efforts. Without revealing exactly what that 'gift' consisted of, the president stated from the Oval Office that the concession came in the last hours and has an 'incalculable' value, a definition that reinforces the impression that the combined military pressure from the United States and Israel has begun to force concrete movements from the Iranian regime at one of the nerve centers of the global energy system. Trump also assured that the talks are being led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, although he also mentioned the participation of Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and other trusted interlocutors. This contradiction reveals the Iranian political moment: inside, it needs to show itself as defiant; outside, it begins to send signals of flexibility to avoid a greater degradation. The underlying key seems to be in Hormuz. In this context, he insisted that Iran has agreed not to move toward a nuclear weapon and that it will not be able to retain uranium enrichment, a condition that the White House has been presenting as non-negotiable for any understanding. Washington, March 24, 2026 - Total News Agency - TNA - The President of the United States, Donald Trump, affirmed this Tuesday that the regime of Iran has given a 'very significant' signal linked to oil, gas, and the Strait of Hormuz, and presented that gesture as proof that Tehran wants to reach an agreement after almost a month of war. In other words, diplomacy moves because everyone understands that the margin to continue escalating without systemic costs is shrinking every day. Even so, the most important political fact of the day is not just that peace is being talked about, but from where it is being talked about. Trump did not present the Iranian gesture as a signal between equals, but as a concession obtained by force. This plot confirms that open war coexists with a subterranean negotiation in which several regional actors are trying to prevent the conflict from deriving in a total blockade of the Gulf and a global energy crisis. But at the same time, an official from the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recognized before CBS News that the Islamic Republic received 'points' sent by Washington through mediators, which is equivalent to admitting that indirect channels are indeed open, although the regime refuses to validate them as a regular negotiation. And that fits with the logic that has been defended since the beginning of the offensive: first, destroy the regime's capacity to threaten with nuclear weapons, missiles, and energy blackmail; second, negotiate from a position of superiority. If the 'gift' from Tehran is finally linked to a flexibility on Hormuz, the message will be even more forceful: the regime that tried to suffocate the world with oil now begins to yield precisely on the ground where it believed it had the greatest capacity for pressure. A report from the Financial Times, picked up by Reuters, pointed out that Iran informed the member states of the International Maritime Organization that 'non-hostile' vessels will be able to transit through the strait if they coordinate with Iranian authorities. Reuters clarified that it could not independently verify that communication, but the information fits with the clue offered by Trump about a concession linked to the energy flow. The authorities in Tehran publicly denied that there are formal talks with the United States and described as false several of Trump's statements about the progress of the dialogue. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Iran had given the United States a 'very big gift' on the oil and gas front, noting that Washington is communicating with 'the right people' in Iran. Trump told reporters at the White House: 'It was a very big gift, it's worth a lot of money.' 'Most of their military power is gone, we are moving freely in the sky of Iran and the sky of Tehran, and none of them can shoot down our missiles or target our planes,' he added. He indicated that the U.S. forces 'succeeded in this war in a way that is unprecedented, as happened in Venezuela.' Trump confirmed that the United States is ahead of schedule in achieving the goals of the war, having destroyed Iranian missile platforms and military weapons, as well as their nuclear reactors, adding: 'If we wanted to destroy their power stations, we would have done so, and no one could have stopped us.' Trump did not provide further details about that 'gift.' He pointed out that the United States is communicating with 'the right people' in Iran, adding that Iranians are seeking to make a deal with Washington. The American president explained: 'We are communicating with the right people in Iran, and they want to make a deal... We are asking the Iranians to name a contact person to communicate with.' He continued: 'We are close to making a deal and we are striving for that, and maybe I will not be happy about this deal,' indicating that 'the President of Iran (Masoud Pezeshkian) is sending signals that may be important and may have meaning.' Trump added that '(U.S. Secretary of State) Marco Rubio, (Vice President) JD Vance, and (U.S. envoy) Steve Witkoff will participate in these negotiations, and I will also strive for these negotiations,' noting that Washington is seeking to make a deal to save millions of lives, because 'Tehran's possession of nuclear weapons threatens the world.' He explained: 'We killed their leaders, and they have no leaders left, there is a group that survived, and we are waiting for the results of the talks, which may lead to a change in the regime, but we trust them.' Regarding the disruption of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said: 'We are waiting for results on the flow of oil through the strait, we are striving to end this process with the least number of casualties, but they will not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons that allow them low-enriched fuel.' He continued: 'We are looking for a solution through negotiations and we are still looking, and it should be remembered that they will not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons, the first, second, and third condition is that they must not have nuclear weapons at all.' Trump spoke of Iran saying: 'Their navy and air force are gone, and they have no way to communicate with each other, their army and most of their missiles are gone, and they have little left to launch.'
