Trump says US Navy acting ‘like pirates’ to enforce Iran blockade

The US president says the ongoing naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is ‘a very profitable business’.United States President Donald Trump says the US Navy is acting “like pirates” as he described an operation about seizing a ship amid the blockade of Iranian ports.“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,” Trump said at a rally in Florida on Friday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Trump says Iran seeks terms he ‘can’t agree to’ in latest peace proposallist 2 of 4Iran war: What’s happening on day 64 as Trump rejects Tehran’s proposallist 3 of 4US to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany over Iran war spatlist 4 of 4Trump considering option to ‘blast the hell out of’ Iranend of list“We’re like pirates,” he added to cheers from the crowd. “We’re sort of like pirates. But we’re not playing games.”After the US and Israel attacked Iran on February ‌28, ⁠Tehran retaliated with strikes on Israel and the Gulf states that host US bases.Iran also blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which 20 percent of global oil and gas passes.A ceasefire between the US and Iran came into effect on April 8, but days later, Trump imposed a blockade of Iranian ports and the Strait of Hormuz on April 13, as negotiations to end the war, mediated by Pakistan, continue.Trump said on Friday he was “not satisfied” with Iran’s latest peace proposal to end the war. He said he was uncertain whether a deal would be reached, warning that he would “blast them away” if negotiations failed.Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar said Iran’s military headquarters has released a statement, saying a resumption of the war was likely “as evidence shows the US is not committed” to any agreement.“That is the assessment and reaction in Tehran. The Iranians believe they have shown enough flexibility before the war during the negotiations, the talks held in Islamabad, and then during the ceasefire,” he said.