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President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Iran had sent the United States \u201ca very big present\u201d as he pushes for a deal to end the war.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re going to make a deal. They did something yesterday that was amazing actually,\u201d Trump told reporters at the White House. \u201cThey gave us a present and the present arrived today and it was a very big present worth a tremendous amount of money. And I\u2019m not going to tell you what that present is, but it was a very significant prize and they gave it to us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Trump said the \u201cpresent\u201d was related to oil and gas flows through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping lane through which roughly one-fifth of the world\u2019s oil supply passes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t nuclear related. It was oil and gas related, and it was a very nice thing they did,\u201d Trump said. \u201cBut what it showed me is that we\u2019re dealing with the right people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Since the war began, global energy prices, including in the United States, have surged as Iran has restricted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude, the global benchmark, rose from $72.29 per barrel before Operation Epic Fury to $95 as of Wednesday morning, with prices exceeding $100 per barrel for sustained periods following the operation\u2019s launch on February 28.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Trump said Iran has agreed to forgo nuclear weapons and uranium enrichment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe are in about the best bargaining position. We\u2019re way ahead of schedule,\u201d Trump said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Pakistani officials said Wednesday morning that Iran had received a 15-point peace proposal from the United States, the Associated Press <\/span>reported<\/span><\/a>. The proposal reportedly addresses both the Strait of Hormuz and Iran\u2019s nuclear program.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n However, Iranian officials appear poised to reject Trump\u2019s appeals for a deal, according to multiple reports. In remarks published by the state-run IRNA news agency, military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari <\/span>claimed<\/span><\/a> the United States only wanted to negotiate to avoid \u201cstrategic defeat.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSomeone like us will never get along with someone like you. Not now, not ever,\u201d he said. \u201c\u201cHave your internal conflicts reached the point of you negotiating with yourselves?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Even as he has pushed for a deal, Trump is deploying<\/a> 3,000 troops from the Army\u2019s 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East. Trump has previously said the military operation will continue as long as he deems necessary.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n