Trump says US Navy acting like 'pirates' during Iran blockade

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday the U.S. Navy was acting "like pirates" as he described an operation seizing a ship amid the tit-for-tat American blockade of Iranian ports.

"We... land 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," Trump said at a rally in Florida.

"We're like pirates," he added to cheers from the crowd. "We're sort of like pirates. But we're not playing games."

Trump's comparison of U.S. naval activity to piracy comes as legal experts raise alarms about Iran's blockade of the vital Strait of Hormuz and its plans to charge a fee for ships passing through it.

Tehran effectively closed the waterway -- a key route for oil and gas shipments -- after the start of the U.S.-Israeli air campaign against Iran on February 28.

The United States announced a blockade of Iranian ports last month after peace talks in Pakistan failed to achieve a breakthrough.

The U.S. Central Command, responsible for U.S. forces in the Middle East, said it has redirected 45 vessels to "ensure compliance" with its blockade as of Friday.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth told reporters in April that the blockade will last "as long as it takes," while top U.S. military officer General Dan Caine said it "applies to all ships, regardless of nationality, heading into or from Iranian ports."

Meanwhile Iran has vowed to maintain its chokehold on the strait as long as Washington continues to blockade its ports.