Trump Says U.S. Seized Millions of Oil Barrels From Iran Without Its Knowledge

In a conversation with reporters at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump revealed that the United States had taken oil barrels from Iran without the Iranians knowing about it.

“Now I can say, we took millions of barrels of oil. You know who doesn’t know about it, until this moment? Iran,” he said. “They didn’t have radar to track it, because we destroyed it. We took 22 ships from them late at night.” Trump added that this was why oil prices were falling. He said it had been difficult for him to keep it secret, “but now I can tell.”

At the same time, U.S. Central Command announced today that it had stopped an oil tanker headed for Iran, despite the blockade. It said the tanker was intercepted as it crossed the Gulf of Oman. According to U.S. Central Command, the forces called out to the ship’s crew, and when their requests were not answered, ordnance was fired at the engine room of the ship.

Trump also said at noon today that “we’re going to hit Iran very hard today.” Trump added that “we got them yesterday and we will hit them again today, they have to sign a deal.”

A prominent Iranian member of parliament, Ebrahim Rezaei, who serves as spokesman for the influential National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Majles, responded to the threats of renewed war and wrote in a brief post in Persian that “we are more prepared than before.” Rezaei is considered one of the most extreme voices and one of the closest to the Revolutionary Guards. He currently serves as the official mouthpiece of the sensitive parliamentary committee, and his remarks usually reflect the radical mood at the top of the Iranian leadership, which seeks to demonstrate military readiness for any scenario or regional confrontation.

Earlier today, U.S. President Donald Trump told Neria Kraus, a reporter for News 13, that the possibility of “additional American strikes in Iran is a real option.” Trump also clarified in an interview with Fox News that potential targets include power stations and bridges in the country.

On the Truth social network, the president wrote: “It took them too long to negotiate a deal that could have been great for them, and now they will have to pay the price!”

“Iran’s military,” the president added, “is total and utter chaos. Large parts of it, such as the navy and air force, effectively no longer exist, because they were completely defeated. Iran is all talk and much less action. The bully of the Middle East is dead!”