Trump admits US Navy acting like ‘pirates’ against Iranian ships
US President Donald Trump has unabashedly admitted that the US Navy is acting “like pirates” in carrying out Washington’s naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Trump made the comments on Friday while describing the seizure of an Iranian ship by US naval forces a few days ago.
“We took over the ship, we took over the cargo, we took over the oil. It is a very profitable business … We are like pirates. We are sort of like pirates but we are not playing games,” he said.
Iran has already condemned US actions as outright “legalization of piracy” and armed robbery on the high seas, following the interception of Iranian oil tankers by US forces under the pretext of so-called “seizure warrants.”
It came after announcements by US authorities claiming the interdiction of vessels such as the M/T Majestic (formerly M/T Phoenix) and M/T Tifani in the Indian Ocean.
These ships were reportedly carrying approximately 1.9 million barrels of Iranian oil each, seized under so-called federal warrants issued by US courts as part of Washington’s unilateral sanctions regime.
“This is the outright legalization of piracy and armed robbery on the high seas,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday.
“The United States must be held fully accountable for this brazenly lawless behavior, which strikes at the heart of international law and international free trade, and threatens the basic principles of maritime security,” he added.
The US-Israeli aggression against Iran began on February 28 with airstrikes that assassinated senior Iranian officials and commanders, including Leader of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
The Iranian armed forces responded by launching daily missile and drone operations targeting locations in the Israeli-occupied territories as well as US military bases and assets across the region.
Furthermore, Iran retaliated against the strikes by closing the Strait of Hormuz, which resulted in a significant increase in oil prices and its by-products.
On April 8, forty days into the war, a Pakistan-brokered temporary ceasefire between Iran and the US took effect.
Negotiations ensued in Islamabad but stopped short of an agreement amid Washington’s maximalist demands and insistence on unreasonable positions.
Since then, Trump has offered shifting timelines and goals for the war, which remains extremely unpopular in the US.
He has faced widespread condemnation over his comments on the aggression, including when he threatened to destroy Iran’s “entire civilization.”
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