--- title: Trump Says U.S. Navy ‘Like Pirates’ in Enforcing Sea Blockade of Iran description: U.S. forces now claim to have redirected 45 ships and frozen $6 billion in Iranian oil revenue. canonical: https://time.com/article/2026/05/02/trump-pirates-US-navy-iran-blockade/ author: Richard Hall article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-05-02T17:43:19.762Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-12T07:05:36.656Z article:section: Politics og:title: Trump Says U.S. Navy ‘Like Pirates’ in Enforcing Sea Blockade of Iran og:description: U.S. forces now claim to have redirected 45 ships and frozen $6 billion in Iranian oil revenue. og:url: https://time.com/article/2026/05/02/trump-pirates-US-navy-iran-blockade/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt79f9982f4084a022/69f6024f9127634e8f993101/GettyImages-2271914739.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: GettyImages-2271914739.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump Says U.S. Navy ‘Like Pirates’ in Enforcing Sea Blockade of Iran twitter:description: U.S. forces now claim to have redirected 45 ships and frozen $6 billion in Iranian oil revenue. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt79f9982f4084a022/69f6024f9127634e8f993101/GettyImages-2271914739.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Trump Says U.S. Navy ‘Like Pirates’ in Enforcing Sea Blockade of Iran > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Richard Hall](https://time.com/author/richard-hall/)  ## Richard Hall Editor May 2, 2026 5:43 PM UTC  In this handout photo provided by U.S. Central Command, U.S. forces patrol the Arabian Sea near M/V Touska on April 20, 2026, after firing upon the Iranian-flagged vessel that the U.S. accused of attempting to violate the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports near the Strait of Hormuz. In this handout photo provided by U.S. Central Command, U.S. forces patrol the Arabian Sea near M/V Touska on April 20, 2026, after firing upon the Iranian-flagged vessel that the U.S. accused of attempting to violate the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports near the Strait of Hormuz. Handout Photo by the U.S. Navy via Getty Images  by [Richard Hall](https://time.com/author/richard-hall/)  ## Richard Hall Editor May 2, 2026 5:43 PM UTC President Donald Trump compared the U.S. Navy to [pirates](https://time.com/article/2026/04/18/iran-strait-of-hormuz-trump-attacks-blockade-lebanon-ceasefire/) when describing how it was carrying out his orders to [blockade Iranian ports](https://time.com/article/2026/04/12/trump-blockade-strait-of-hormuz-iran/). "We took over the ship, we took over the cargo, we took over the oil. It's a very ⁠profitable business," Trump said on ⁠Friday evening, recounting a seizure of an Iranian ship. "We're sort of like pirates, but we are not playing games." The U.S. began a [naval blockade](https://time.com/article/2026/04/30/iran-war-nuclear-capabilities-trump-deal-strait-of-hormuz/) of Iranian ports last month following the breakdown of [peace talks](https://time.com/article/2026/04/25/trump-iran-peace-talks-canceled/) between the two sides, ostensibly in response to Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz. **Read more**: [_Democrats Explore Suing Trump If He Ignores Congress on Iran War_](https://time.com/article/2026/04/28/exclusive-democrats-explore-suing-trump-if-congress-doesn-t-authorize-iran-war/) The energy transit route saw one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas travel through it before the U.S. and Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran on Feb. 28, beginning a conflict that has killed thousands of civilians. In response to the attack, Iran blocked all maritime traffic passing through the Strait. It loosened that blockade in recent weeks, allowing allies and other non-combatant nations to pass through after paying a toll. The U.S. blockade applies to Iranian and any other vessels that have paid a toll to Iran, according to [Trump](https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-serious-but-not-literal-blockade). U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said on April 29 that U.S. forces had redirected more than 40 commercial vessels attempting to violate the blockade. "Right now there are 41 tankers with 69 million barrels of oil that the Iranian regime can't sell. That's an estimated $6 billion-plus from which Iran's leadership cannot financially benefit. The blockade is highly effective and U.S. forces remain fully committed to total enforcement,” he said in a [statement](https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2049594027582832881/photo/1). Since then, CENTCOM said an additional four [vessels](https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2050260946937860513) have been redirected, bringing the total to 45 since the U.S. naval blockade began on April 13. Trump said the U.S. Navy would block “any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz” in a [post](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116391828823240211) announcing the move on Truth Social on April 12\. He added that the blockade would remain until Iran opens the Strait to all traffic. **Read more**: [_Iran Reimposes Control of Strait of Hormuz and Fires on Tankers_](https://time.com/article/2026/04/18/iran-strait-of-hormuz-trump-attacks-blockade-lebanon-ceasefire/) The disruption to oil flow through the passage has led to huge spikes in oil prices and fuel rationing across the globe. The average price of gas hit $4.39 a gallon in the U.S. on Friday, according to AAA. Spirit Airlines became the first U.S. airline to cease operations as a result of rising fuel costs linked to the Iran war on Saturday. 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