Trump says US navy like ‘pirates’ while seizing a ship in Iranian blockade | US-Israel war on Iran

Donald Trump said the US navy acted “like pirates” as he described a ship-seizing operation during America’s tit-for-tat blockade of Iranian ports.

“We… landed on top of it and took over the ship. We took over the cargo, we took over the oil. It’s a very profitable business,” Trump said at a rally in Florida on Friday.

“We’re like pirates,” he added to cheers from the crowd. “We’re kind of like pirates. But we’re not playing games.”

Trump’s comparison of US maritime activities to piracy comes as legal experts raise alarm over Iran’s blockade of the vital Strait of Hormuz and plans to charge ships passing through it.

Tehran has effectively closed the waterway, an important route for oil and gas shipments, following the US-Israeli air campaign against Iran on February 28.

The USA announced last month that it had blockaded Iranian ports after no progress was made in peace talks in Pakistan.

U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East, said it had redirected 45 ships as of Friday to “ensure compliance” with the blockade.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth told reporters in April that the blockade would last “as long as it takes,” while senior U.S. military official GenDan Caine said it “applies to all ships entering or leaving Iranian ports, regardless of nationality.”

Iran has promised to maintain control of the strait as long as Washington continues to blockade its ports.