Trump Claims U.S. Secretly Removed 22 Iranian Oil Tankers

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday evening that in yesterday’s strike, the U.S. military secretly removed 22 oil tankers from Iran. “It was a secret, they did not know about it. That is why oil prices are falling,” Trump said.

Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command released footage of the disabling of an Iranian oil tanker. Since the start of the blockade on April 13, CENTCOM forces have disabled eight vessels that did not comply with instructions, redirected 134 vessels that followed the guidance, and allowed 42 vessels carrying aid to pass.

Later, Trump expanded on the claim in a post on Truth, saying he had ordered a “secret mission” to allow oil tankers and commercial ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. “This resulted in more than 100 million barrels of oil making their way through the strait, to the open market. More than 200 commercial ships passed safely through the strait.” In his view, the successful operation shows that the United States controls the Strait of Hormuz, not Iran. “Their military is defeated, and their economy is lost,” Trump wrote.

At the press conference he held, Trump said the United States would strike Iran again overnight, in response to the downing of the American Apache helicopter over Hormuz. “I have been working with Iran for a few months. Iran agreed that it will not have nuclear weapons. All it needs to do is sign on the paper. Everything has already been agreed. But they are delaying and delaying because they know this is a significant agreement.”

Earlier today, Trump sent a threatening message to Iran amid the negotiations between the two countries. “Iran is all talk and no action. 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,” Trump wrote.

In an interview with Fox News, Trump made clear that he is close to ordering new strikes against power stations and bridges in Iran because, he said, the Iranians are “dragging out” the negotiations. “The bully of the Middle East is dead. If needed, we will continue,” he emphasized.