U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the U.S. Navy’s actions in blocking Iranian ports and seizing an Iranian ship this week, describing it as behaving “like pirates.”
“We took over the ship, we took over the cargo, we took over the oil. It’s a very profitable business,” Trump said at a Florida event. “We’re like pirates. We’re sort of like pirates, but we are not playing games.”
Tensions between the U.S. and Tehran are escalating amid failed talks to permanently conclude the war initiated by the U.S. and Israel in late February.
An Iranian military official said on Saturday that renewed conflict was “likely,” according to the Fars news agency. “U.S. officials’ actions and statements are largely media-oriented, aimed first at preventing a drop in oil prices and second at escaping the predicament they have created for themselves,” stated Mohammad Jafar Asadi.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control cautioned shipping companies they might face sanctions for paying Iran to safely navigate the Strait of Hormuz.
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