Within the fog of the Iran War, and all the confusion over whether the US is on the brink of a deal in negotiations that may or may not be happening, one statement from Donald Trump stood out.
Speaking at the White House last night, the president gave journalists a tiny morsel of intriguing information to chew on.
The Iranians, he said, ‘did something yesterday that was amazing, actually’.
‘They gave us a present, and a present arrived today. It was a very big present worth a tremendous amount of money, and I’m not going to tell you what that present is.’
As with so many other elements of this war, the details were left out – all we got were a few mumbles that it related ‘to the flow, to the Strait’.
But that could mean anything. Here, Metro indulges in some wild speculation about what Iran could possibly have gifted to win Trump over.
Development rights for the ‘Costa del Hormuz’
We all know Donald Trump isn’t above making nauseating proposals to turn a warzone into a seaside resort.
So it’s hard to imagine there wasn’t a small part of his brain taking account of the coastline along the Strait of Hormuz during recent war briefings.
Perhaps when Trump spoke about how his gift linked to ‘the Strait’ yesterday, he was referring to an offer from Tehran for a discounted rate on land – just think of the hotels, the casinos, the rooftop bars with views over the Gulf gas fields…
An even bigger, golder Air Force One replacement
You might remember when Qatar gifted Trump a luxury jet worth an estimated $400 million in May last year.
The president snapped it up, with a view to use it as a replacement for Air Force One despite ethical concerns over the gesture.
What Qatar may not have considered is the fact there will always be an even bigger, more expensive, more gaudy jet out there. Iran might just have taken advantage of that.
A ballroom for the other wing of the White House
Amid all this international drama, Trump has spent a bit of time securing his legacy back home by smashing the White House’s East Wing to bits.
This will make room for a splendid, enormous new ballroom, he says – but you know what’s better than one ballroom? Two ballrooms.
The current plans would give the building an ugly asymmetrical look, and the space for a new Oval Office can surely be found elsewhere once the West Wing is gone. Iran could easily provide the funds.
Free distractions from the Epstein files for the rest of Trump’s life
Trump said the gift was ‘worth a tremendous amount of money’, and this one might actually be priceless for him.
Whether or not it was intentional, the war in Iran has certainly taken attention away from the revelations in the Epstein files which were causing a real headache for the president.
Perhaps Tehran eased any concerns over a potential ceasefire by promising to reignite the war any time interest in Epstein flares back up in future.
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