President Donald Trump described on Friday the US Navy’s seizure of Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz as “a very profitable business,” boasting that Washington had taken over Iranian cargo and oil as part of its blockade.
“We took over the cargo. Took over the oil, a very profitable business. Who would have thought, we’re sort of like pirates, but we’re not playing games,” Trump said at an event in the US state of Florida.
Defending the blockade, Trump argued that Iran had used “the Hormuz Strait as a weapon for many, many years, they said they’ll close it. So, they closed it, then I closed it on them.”
On the ongoing nuclear talks with Iran, Trump cast doubt on whether a deal was even desirable.
“Frankly, maybe we’re better off not making a deal at all,” he said, but later claimed that the situation cannot be continued.
The US and Israel began strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, prompting retaliation from Tehran against US allies in the Gulf and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire was announced April 8 through Pakistani mediation, followed by talks in Islamabad on April 11-12, but no agreement was reached.
Trump later unilaterally extended the truce without setting a new timeframe, at Pakistan’s request.
Meanwhile, reports indicated that the Trump administration is seeking to form an international coalition to restore maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Since April 13, the US has enforced a naval blockade targeting Iranian maritime traffic in the waterway.
Meanwhile, Iran’s top diplomat said Tehran is willing to return to the negotiating table with the US, but only if Washington stops making an “excessive approach, threatening rhetoric,” a report said Friday.
Iran’s state-owned international broadcaster PressTV said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made the remarks while updating his counterparts in Türkiye, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq and Azerbaijan on where things stand amid the fragile diplomatic process.
Saying that Iran did not start the war and that its armed forces remain fully prepared to defend the country against any renewed military threat, Araghchi noted that Iran entered the latest Pakistani-mediated talks in good faith, despite deep skepticism toward Washington, stemming from what he described as repeated failures to honor prior commitments. – AA