Trump says US Navy acting ‘like pirates’ to enforce Iran blockade

United States President Donald Trump says the US Navy is acting “like pirates” as he described an operation about seizing a ship amid the blockade of Iranian ports.

“We … land on top of it and we took over the ship. We took over the cargo, 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 sort of like pirates. But we’re not playing games.”

After the US and Israel attacked Iran on February ‌28, ⁠Tehran retaliated with strikes on Israel and the Gulf states that host US bases.

Iran also blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which 20 percent of global oil and gas passes.

A ceasefire between the US and Iran came into effect on April 8, but days later, Trump imposed a blockade of Iranian ports and the Strait of Hormuz on April 13, as negotiations to end the war, mediated by Pakistan, continue.

Trump said on Friday he was “not satisfied” with Iran’s latest peace proposal to end the war. He said he was uncertain whether a deal would be reached, warning that he would “blast them away” if negotiations failed.

Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar said Iran’s military headquarters has released a statement, saying a resumption of the war was likely “as evidence shows the US is not committed” to any agreement.

“That is the assessment and reaction in Tehran. The Iranians believe they have shown enough flexibility before the war during the negotiations, the talks held in Islamabad, and then during the ceasefire,” he said.

“But they’re saying they haven’t seen the same approach from the US, as each time Iran has eased its demands, while the Americans have become more aggressive.”

Meanwhile, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said in a post on X that the Americans have an “undeniable right and the solemn duty” to demand accountability from the Trump administration over the US-Israel “war of choice” on Iran.

The war is “a clear, unprovoked act of aggression”, and the US public should challenge the government for “waging this illegal war against the nation of Iran and for all the atrocities perpetrated”, Baghaei said.

Alluding to mounting criticism of the war within the US, Baghaei also posted a video of US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand saying at a recent Senate hearing: “We did not have any evidence that Iran intended to imminently attack this country in any way, shape or form.”

Trump faced a May 1 deadline under the 1973 War Powers Resolution to secure authorisation of the war on Iran from the US Congress. The resolution, which states that Congress must declare a war or authorise use of force against another country within 60 days, is now set to pass without action.