Donald Trump Says U.S. Navy Acts Like Pirates During Blockade of Iranian Ports

President Donald Trump said on Friday (May 1) that 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.

Reuters reported that Trump made the comparison while describing the U.S. Navy's seizure of an oil cargo, and the Guardian quoted him saying, "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."

AL

At a rally in Florida, the Guardian added that Trump said, "We’re like pirates," and "We’re sort of like pirates. But we’re not playing games."

TRT World similarly reported Trump saying, "We took over the ship, we took over the cargo, we took over the oil. It's a very profitable business," and "We're like pirates. We're sort of like pirates but we are not playing games."

The Reuters account tied the comments to the blockade and to the seizure of vessels leaving Iranian ports, while Al-Monitor (via Reuters) described Trump making the remarks while describing the seizure by U.S. forces of a ship a few days ago.

In the same Reuters-based reporting, Trump said, "We took over the ship, we took over the cargo, we took over the oil. It's a very profitable business," and "We're like pirates. We're sort of like pirates but we are not playing games."

Multiple outlets described the blockade as a continuing U.S. measure aimed at Iranian port traffic, with the Guardian saying the U.S. announced a blockade of Iranian ports last month after peace talks in Pakistan failed to achieve a breakthrough.

The Guardian reported that the U.S. Central Command, responsible for U.S. forces in the Middle East, said it had redirected 45 vessels to "ensure compliance" with its blockade as of Friday.

Al Jazeera

It also quoted U.S. military officials: Pete Hegseth told reporters in April that the blockade will last "as long as it takes," and top U.S. military officer GenDan Caine said it "applies to all ships, regardless of nationality, heading into or from Iranian ports."

Al-Monitor (via Reuters) similarly said Trump imposed a separate blockade of Iranian ports in response to Iran’s own blockade, and it described the war as launched by the U.S. and Israel on February 28.

The Guardian added that Tehran effectively closed the waterway, a key route for oil and gas shipments, after the start of the U.S.-Israeli air campaign against Iran on 28 February.

The Kurdistan24 report, meanwhile, framed the U.S. action as part of a broader Gulf standoff and said Iran accused the U.S. of "piracy" over oil tanker seizures, while citing an alleged theft of 3.8 million barrels of Iranian crude oil.

Iran rejected the U.S. characterization and described the seizures as piracy, with Kurdistan24 reporting that Iran accuses the U.S. of “piracy” over oil tanker seizures and calling it state-sanctioned piracy.

Kurdistan24 said Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, stated that U.S. soldiers "acted like pirates" during the recent seizure of Iranian oil tankers.

It added that Iravani described the American military action as an "act of aggression" involving the alleged theft of 3.8 million barrels of Iranian crude oil.

Kurdistan24 further reported that Tehran asserted the seizure constitutes a "blatant violation" of Article 2, Paragraph 4 of the United Nations Charter, which prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.

The report said Tehran called upon the Security Council to intervene and stated that it retains the right under international law to respond to these actions.

In parallel, the Guardian said the comparison of U.S. naval activity to piracy came as legal experts raised alarms about Iran’s blockade of the vital strait of Hormuz and its plans to charge a fee for ships passing through it.

The dispute over the blockade and seizures was also framed in economic terms, with the Guardian reporting that legal experts raised alarms about Iran’s blockade of the vital strait of Hormuz and its plans to charge a fee for ships passing through it.

The Guardian said Tehran effectively closed the waterway after the start of the U.S.-Israeli air campaign against Iran on 28 February, and it described the strait as a vital route for oil and gas shipments.

Al-Jazeera Net

TRT World said the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is a chokepoint for about 20 percent of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.

The Jerusalem Post, citing Axios and Pentagon officials, reported that the U.S. Department of Defense estimates Iran has lost nearly five billion dollars in oil revenue as a result of the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

It also said Axios wrote that over 40 vessels carrying oil and other contraband have been redirected by the U.S. military since the blockade began on April 13th, and it stated that 31 tankers carrying 53 million barrels of Iranian oil are stuck in the Gulf of Oman with a value of over $4.8 billion.

The Jerusalem Post added that Iran may reach storage capacity within 15 to 60 days, and it quoted a U.S. official telling the Post, "The blockade is working to perfection."

Beyond the blockade, Reuters and other outlets described parallel developments involving diplomacy, troop posture, and capital punishment.

“Trump says US Navy acting 'like pirates' to carry out naval blockade of Iranian ports By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON, May 1 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Friday the U”

Al-Monitor

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that NATO was "working with the US to understand the details of their decision on force posture in Germany" after the U.S. announced it would withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany, and it said the Pentagon announced it would withdraw approximately 5,000 US troops from Germany over the next 6–12 months.

Al-Monitor

The same report quoted NATO spokesperson Allison Hart saying the alliance was "working with the US" and also quoted Hart’s call that allies "continue to invest more in defence" and "take on a greater share of the responsibility for our shared security."

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty also described a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps commander, Mohammad Jafar Asadi, saying renewed confrontation between Iran and the United States is "likely" and that "America does not honor any agreement or commitment."

It said Iran submitted its draft to Islamabad on April 29, and it reported that President Donald Trump told reporters, "At this moment I'm not satisfied with what they're offering," attributing the impasse to "tremendous discord" within Iran's leadership.

Finally, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that Iran executed two men accused of spying for Israel, saying Mizan news agency reported that Yaqub Karimpur and Nasser Bakrzadeh were put to death for "intelligence cooperation and espionage in favor of the Zionist regime and the Mossad intelligence service."