President Donald Trump said on Friday that the US Navy was acting like 'pirates' as he described an operation seizing a ship amid the tit-for-tat American blockade of Iranian ports.
“We landed on top of it, and we took over the ship. We took over the cargo and took over the oil. It’s a very profitable business,” Trump said at a rally in Florida.
To cheers from the crowd, he added, “We are like pirates.”
“We’re like pirates. But we’re not playing games,” he added more.
Trump’s comparison of US naval activity to piracy comes as legal experts raise alarms about Iran’s blockade of the vital Strait of Hormuz and its plans to charge a fee for ships passing through it.
Tehran effectively closed the waterway, a key route for oil and gas shipments, after the start of the US-Israeli air campaign against Iran on 28 February.
The United States announced a blockade of Iranian ports in April after peace talks in Pakistan failed to achieve a breakthrough.
The US Central Command, responsible for US forces in the Middle East, said that it has redirected 45 vessels to ensure compliance with its blockade on Friday.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth told reporters in April that the blockade would last ‘as long as it takes', while top US military officer General Dan Caine said it applied to all ships, regardless of nationality, heading into or from Iranian ports.
Meanwhile, Iran has vowed to maintain its chokehold on the strait as long as Washington continues to blockade its ports.
