US President Donald Trump said the US Navy was acting “like pirates” in seizing ships amid a blockade of Iranian ports.
“We … landed on it and took over the ship. We took over the cargo, we took over the oil. This is a very lucrative business,” President Trump said at a rally in Florida on Friday.
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“We’re like pirates,” he added, drawing cheers from the crowd. “We’re like pirates, but we’re not playing games.”
After the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, Iran retaliated with attacks on Israel and Gulf states that host American military bases.
Iran has also blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which 20% of the world’s oil and gas passes.
The ceasefire between the United States and Iran went into effect on April 8, but a few days later, on April 13, President Trump closed Iranian ports and the Strait of Hormuz as Pakistan-mediated negotiations to end the war continued.
President Trump said Friday that he is “not satisfied” with Iran’s latest peace proposal to end the war. He said it was unclear whether a deal would be reached and warned that if negotiations failed, he would “kick them out”.
Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar reported from Tehran that Iran’s military command issued a statement saying a resumption of war was likely “as evidence shows that the United States is not committed to any deal.”
“This is Tehran’s assessment and reaction. We believe that the Iranians showed sufficient flexibility during the pre-war negotiations, the talks in Islamabad and the subsequent ceasefire.”
“But they claim they have not seen a similar approach from the United States, because every time Iran eases its demands, the United States becomes more aggressive.”
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghai said in a post on X that Americans have an “undeniable right and solemn obligation” to demand accountability from the Trump administration for the US-Israel “war of choice” against Iran.
Baghai said the war was a “blatant and unprovoked act of aggression” and that Americans should challenge the government “for waging this illegal war against the Iranian state and for all the atrocities committed.”
Alluding to growing criticism of the war in the United States, Baghai also posted a video of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand saying at a recent Senate hearing that “there was no evidence that Iran intended to attack this country in any way imminently.”
President Trump was facing a May 1 deadline to gain approval from the U.S. Congress for war against Iran under the 1973 War Powers Resolution. The resolution, which requires Congress to declare war or authorize the use of force against another country within 60 days, is currently scheduled to pass without taking any action.
Douglas Silliman, a former U.S. ambassador to Kuwait and Iraq, told Al Jazeera that President Trump wants to undermine Congress’ legal authority to engage in any war.
“My reading of the law is that 60 days after a conflict involving U.S. troops begins, the president must go to Congress for continuation,” Silliman said.
“The problem is that it hasn’t actually been fully implemented, and … the administration is redefining the timeline of the war to say it doesn’t need to do this,” he said. “They will continue to find excuses…to stay away from Congress until they absolutely have to.”
Silliman said Trump “doesn’t want it to seem like he’s asking for permission to do something he believes is within his authority.”
“As commander-in-chief, he thinks this whole law and the concept of having to be present in Congress is unconstitutional. I don’t think any members of Congress would agree, even on the Republican side,” he told Al Jazeera.
“But again, this depends on whether the president thinks this is a victory for him or whether he thinks he may not be able to win outright.”
