U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that large numbers of completely empty oil tankers were heading to the United States to load up with oil and gas.
“Massive numbers of completely empty oil tankers, some of the largest anywhere in the World, are heading, right now, to the United States to load up with the best and “sweetest” oil and gas anywhere in the World. We have more oil than the next two largest oil economies combined – and higher quality,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
His post came as senior U.S. and Iranian officials were meeting on Saturday in Islamabad with Pakistani intermediaries as Tehran laid down its red lines that it said Washington must accept before face-to-face talks could take place to end their six-week-old war.
Trump said earlier this week Iran should not charge fees to tankers going through the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, which has caused the worst disruption to global energy supplies in history.
Senior U.S. and Iranian officials met on Saturday in Islamabad with Pakistani intermediaries as Tehran laid down its red lines that it said Washington must accept before face-to-face talks could take place to end their six-week-old war.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, the White House and Sharif’s office said.
Hours earlier, the Iranian delegation led by Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi also met with Sharif to determine the timing and manner of possible negotiations, according to local media.
Iranian state TV said Tehran’s delegation had set out its red lines to Sharif, adding that these concerned the Strait of Hormuz, the release of Iran’s blocked assets, the payment of war reparations, and a ceasefire to be enforced across the region.
NEGOTIATING WITH FINGER ON THE TRIGGER
“We will negotiate with our finger on the trigger,” Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said on state TV. “While we are open to talks, we are also fully aware of the lack of trust; therefore, Iran’s diplomatic team is entering this process with maximum caution.”
Earlier, a senior Iranian source told Reuters the U.S. had agreed to release frozen assets held in Qatar and other foreign banks, but a U.S. official swiftly denied the claim.
The Iranian source welcomed the alleged move as a sign of “seriousness” in the talks, in which Washington is pressing Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the assertion about frozen assets.
Iran is also demanding a ceasefire in Lebanon, where Israeli attacks on Iran-backed Hezbollah militants have killed nearly 2,000 people since the start of fighting in March.
Israel and the U.S. have said the Lebanon campaign is not part of the Iran-U.S. ceasefire.
Trump posted on social media on Friday that the only reason the Iranians were alive was to negotiate a deal.
“The Iranians don’t seem to realize they have no cards, other than a short term extortion of the World by using International Waterways. The only reason they are alive today is to negotiate!” he said.
Vance, speaking as he headed to Pakistan, said he expected a positive outcome but added: “If they’re going to try to play us, then they’re going to find the negotiating team is not that receptive.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
