US President Donald Trump persisted with his tirade against Iran from his social media account, even as the two sides were holding talks in Pakistan with Vice President JD Vance representing the American administration on Saturday. Trump’s tirade came around the same time the US attempted a move on the Strait of Hormuz, the key oil-transport waterway that Iran has blockaded for massive geopolitical leverage.
Trump, who was at the White House, first fired a claim of Iran “losing big” on his Truth Social account. In the post, he claimed that “the only thing they (Iran) have going is the threat that a ship may ‘bunk’ into one of their sea mines” in the Strait of Hormuz. He then said “all 28 of their mine dropper boats are also lying at the bottom of the sea”.
Follow: Live updates on the US-Iran war
Move on Strait of Hormuz
“We’re now starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz,” he declared, “as a favor to Countries all over the World, including China, Japan, South Korea, France, Germany, and many others. Incredibly, they don’t have the Courage or Will to do this work themselves.”
It was not immediately clear if he was referring to the peace talks, or an entirely different operation of some kind.
Just then, a US warship moved from the Fujairah Port in the UAE towards the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran immediately informed Pakistani mediators that if the American destroyer continued its movement, “it will be targeted within 30 minutes”, state media reported. It subsequently made a u-turn.
Hours later, reports emerged that in fact two warships made the passage “without informing Tehran”.
Also read | Strait of Hormuz opening likely delayed because Iran not able to locate own sea mines: Report
The conflict is in a two-week ceasefire starting last Wednesday, after mediation by Pakistan, which is now hosting the negotiations in its capital city Islamabad.
The President’s post was apparently triggered by news reports suggesting “that Iran is ‘winning’, when, in fact, everyone knows that they are LOSING, and LOSING BIG!”
He termed all such news outlets “Fake News Media”, using his usual term for unfavourable reporting. He blamed it on their “massive Trump Derangement Syndrome (Sometimes referred to as TDS!)”.
Obliteration claims, again
He claimed that Iran’s “Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their Anti Aircraft apparatus is nonexistent, Radar is dead, their Missile and Drone Factories have been largely obliterated along with the Missiles and Drones themselves and, most importantly, their longtime ‘Leaders’ are no longer with us, praise be to Allah!” — again using a Muslim prayer phrase, and repeating old claims.
He further said that ships from several countries are are headed to the US “to LOAD UP with Oil”. This was in sync with an earlier Truth Social post he made, in which he asserted that the US has more oil than the next two largest producers combined.
Crude offer
“Massive numbers of completely empty oil tankers, some of the largest anywhere in the World, are heading, right now, to the United States to load up with the best and ‘sweetest’ oil (and gas!) anywhere in the World. We have more oil than the next two largest oil economies combined – and higher quality. We are waiting for you. Quick turnaround!” he wrote in that post.
The remarks come at a time of heightened volatility in global energy markets, with tanker movements closely tied to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and the ongoing US-Iran conflict.
The US President has repeatedly framed crude oil and related products like gas as a strategic and economic tool during the ongoing conflict with Iran. In recent statements, he criticised the West Asian country for restricting tanker movement through the Strait of Hormuz, and warned that oil would continue to flow “with or without” Tehran’s cooperation.
Trump has also struck an openly transactional tone in his post, appearing to turn salesman by touting US oil to global buyers.
This post comes in the backdrop of earlier statements by Trump where he said he would prefer to “keep the oil” and “make lots of money” from conflict zones like Iran, describing himself as a “businessman first”.
