U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday (May 1, 2026) the U.S. Navy was acting “like pirates” in carrying out Washington’s naval blockade of Iranian ports during the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran.
Mr. Trump made the comments while describing the seizure by U.S. forces of a ship a few days ago.
“We took over the ship, we took over the cargo, we took over the oil. It’s a very profitable business,” Mr. Trump said in remarks on Friday (May 1, 2026) evening. “We’re like pirates. We’re sort of like pirates but we are not playing games.”
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Some of Tehran’s vessels have been seized by the U.S. after leaving Iranian ports, along with sanctioned container ships and Iranian tankers in Asian waters.
