Donald Trump takes wild swipe at Iran over Strait of Hormuz | World | News
Donald Trump has dealt a harsh blow to Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, as agreement on a peace deal teeters on the brink.
He wrote on Truth Social: “Iran is financially collapsing! They want the Strait of Hormuz to be opened immediately – They are short on money! They are losing $500 Million a day. The Army and Police complain about not getting paid. SOS!!!”
Mr. Trump also said: “They say they just want it closed because I have a complete blockade (CLOSED!), so they just want to ‘save face.’ People came to me four days ago and said, ‘Sir, Iran wants to open the strait immediately.’ But if we do that, there can never be a deal with Iran unless they blow up the rest of it.” related to their countries, including their leaders!”
This comes as Iran seized two ships, the Francesca and Epaminondas, in the Strait of Hormuz following armed attacks on the vessels early on Wednesday. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said the ships were “endangering maritime security by operating without proper authorization and tampering with navigation systems.”
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said Epaminondas “ignored warnings” from the country’s armed forces before opening fire on a Revolutionary Guard “gun boat.” Other reports added that the Greek-owned Euphoria was also attacked.
On Tuesday evening, Mr. Trump said he had agreed to delay any new military action following what he described as a request from Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir. The two-week ceasefire was due to end early Wednesday morning.
The US President said: “I have directed our military to maintain the blockade and remain ready and capable in all other respects, and therefore I will extend the ceasefire until proposals are presented and discussions are concluded one way or another.”
However, Iran rejected US President Donald Trump’s offer to extend the ceasefire. The country’s parliament speaker, Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, said Trump’s extension of the ceasefire was “definitely a ploy to buy time for a surprise strike.” State media reported that the country did not request an extension of the ceasefire.
With peace talks on the brink of collapse, an Iranian security official warned that a US seizure of the country’s ships would be a “big gamble” that would make American ships legitimate targets for retaliation.
In England, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer held meetings with ministers and officials about the government’s efforts to relieve the pressure on the people caused by the conflict. They also talked about diplomacy to support negotiations between the United States and Iran, military planning as part of a post-war mission to keep the Strait of Hormuz open jointly with France, and broader measures such as efforts to weaken the link between gas and electricity prices.
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