Iran Condemns Trump's Statement on Seizure of Iranian Ships

Tehran (ANTARA) - Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, on Saturday (2/5) condemned the statement by US President Donald Trump, who referred to the seizure of Iranian ships by the US as “piracy”.

“The US President has openly described the illegal seizure of Iranian ships as ‘piracy’, boldly boasting that ‘we act like pirates’,” Baghaei said in a post on the X platform.

“This is not merely a slip of the tongue. It is a direct and incriminating admission of the criminal nature of their actions against international maritime shipping,” he added.

Previously, on Friday (1/5), Trump boasted that the US Navy was acting “like pirates” in its blockade of Iranian ports.

“We seize ships, we seize cargo, we seize oil. It’s a very profitable business,” Trump said at an event in Florida.

Baghaei called on the international community, United Nations member states, and the UN Secretary-General to firmly reject any normalisation of this “blatant violation” of international law.

The US imposed a blockade on Iran in the Strait of Hormuz after post-ceasefire negotiations with Tehran in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, on 11-12 April failed to yield an agreement.

The ceasefire between Iran, the US, and Israel took effect on 8 April after 40 days of fighting.

On 28 February, the US and Israel launched a joint attack on Tehran and other cities in Iran, killing Iran’s supreme leader at the time, Ali Khamenei, as well as several senior commanders and Iranian civilians.

Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel as well as US bases and assets in the Middle East.

Iran also tightened control over the Strait of Hormuz and closed safe passages for ships affiliated with Israel and the US.