As the US blockade continues to escalate tensions, PresidentDonald Trumpon Friday recounted a dramatic military operation in which American forces allegedly intercepted anIranianvessel, forced it to halt, and seized its cargo and oil. Speaking at the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches Dinner, Trump described the high-stakes encounter in detail.
"And there was no response. Turn your ship around. Evacuate your engine room immediately. And you see all these guys running out of there. Now, they're five miles away. And one shot into the engine room, blew up the engine room. The ship stopped. The ship. They used tugboats. And then we landed on top of it. On top of everything else. We then land on top of it," said Trump.
"And we took over the ship. We took over the cargo, took over the oil. It's a very profitable business. Who would have thought we were doing that? We're like pirates. We're sort of like pirates. But we're not playing games because, you know, for 47 years, Iran has been pushing everybody around. They're the bully," he added.
The US blockade in the Gulf of Oman and surrounding maritime routes has been claimed to have cost Iran nearly USD 4.8 billion in oil revenue, significantly tightening financial pressure on Tehran, according to a report by Axios citing Pentagon estimates.
The Department of War assessment suggests Iran has been denied close to USD 5 billion in oil earnings due to disruptions linked to US enforcement operations in the region, which officials say are targeting sanctioned maritime trade and energy exports.
The report comes amid ongoing tensions over shipping routes near the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil checkpoint.
On April 13, the United States imposed a naval blockade on Iran following the failure of the Islamabad Talks to end the war.
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