STORY: :: Donald Trump likens the U.S. to 'pirates' as he describes the Navy's seizure of an Iranian ship
:: U.S. Central Command via X
:: Released April 20, 2026
:: West Palm Beach, Florida / May 1, 2026
"One shot into the engine room, blew up the engine room. The ship stopped. They used tugboats. And then we landed on top of it. On top of everything else. We then landed 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. Who would have thought we were doing that? We're like pirates. We're sort of like pirates."
Trump made the comments at a political forum in Florida while describing the seizure by U.S. forces of a ship in April.
Some of Tehran's vessels have been seized by the U.S. after leaving Iranian ports, along with sanctioned container ships and Iranian tankers in Asian waters.
Iran has blocked nearly all ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz apart from its own since the start of the war, launched by the U.S. and Israel on February 28. Trump has imposed a separate blockade of Iranian ports.
The war has raised oil prices and led to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.
Trump, who has offered shifting timelines and goals for the war that remains unpopular in the U.S., has faced widespread condemnation over his comments on the conflict, including when he threatened to destroy Iran's entire civilization last month. Some experts said the threatened actions may amount to war crimes.
