US president Donald Trump said on Friday that the US Navy was acting “like pirates” while enforcing Washington’s naval blockade of Iranian ports during the ongoing conflict with Iran.He made the remarks while describing the recent seizure of a ship by US forces, highlighting the interception as part of the blockade operations.“We took over the ship, we took over the cargo, we took over the oil. It’s a very profitable business,” Trump said. “We’re like pirates. We’re sort of like pirates but we are not playing games.”Trump said military action against Iran’s nuclear program was carried out to protect the Gulf region, including Israel, from the threat posed by a potential nuclear-armed Tehran.“Because we have to take a little journey down to a beautiful country known as Iran, and we have to make sure that they don’t have a nuclear weapon. We stopped them with the B2 bombers. If we didn’t do that, they would’ve had a nuclear weapon. Israel, the Middle East, and Europe would have been blown to pieces,” he added.The US President also pointed to apparent internal divisions within Iran’s leadership, suggesting that such disunity may be complicating the negotiation process.“The leadership is very disjointed. It’s got two to three groups, maybe four, and it’s a very disjointed leadership. And with that being said, they all want to make a deal, but they’re all messed up,” Trump said. Several Iranian-linked vessels have been seized or intercepted by the United States after departing Iranian ports, including sanctioned container ships and oil tankers operating in Asian waters as part of Washington’s naval blockade.Since the conflict began, Iran has in turn restricted maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, allowing passage largely for its own vessels, while the US has enforced a separate blockade targeting Iranian ports and shipping.The remarks come as a US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz enters its third week, with ceasefire talks between Washington and Tehran remaining stalled. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has described the ongoing pressure on the country’s ports as “intolerable”.Iran’s influence over, and ability to potentially close, the strait has emerged as a key point of leverage since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28.Roughly one-fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas shipments pass through the strategic waterway.In previous proposals to end the conflict, Iran has suggested imposing fees or tolls on vessels transiting the strait, a proposal that Washington has repeatedly rejected.
