'Waving from golf cart...': Trump says Iran 'forcing ships toward US for oil', Iran mocks with 'Chinese supermarket' jibe
Donald Trump claimed Iran is sending ships for US oil without proof, drawing sharp rebuttal from Tehran. Amid rising tensions over the Strait of Hormuz, Iran rejected pressure tactics while possible talks in Islamabad remain uncertain.
Trump claims Iranian ships in US for oil
US President Donald Trump, in a post on Truth Social, on Monday (Apr 20), claimed that the Iranian leadership is sending ships towards Texas, Louisiana, and Alaska, to "get their oil." It is being seen as Trump's attempt to
spin the global oil crisis he triggered as good for the United States and the closure of Strait of Hormuz as disastrous for Iran. However, he did not give any proof of his claims.
Full post here
Iran slams Trump's Alaskan oil claims
Iran was quick in its response as Trump made the claims. Iranian Embassy in Ghana took to X and said that Trump is "selling imaginary oil to imaginary ships in an imaginary port in Alaska." It said that Texas, Louisiana and Alaska together produce 7.6 million barrels for domestic consumption, while Hormuz moves 20 million barrels of oil a day. It also claimed that a single Chinese supertanker could dry the Alaskan oil in a week. In the post, it termed Trump as the man who “lost the strait.”
Trump defends the war, then threatens Iran again
As the ceasefire deadline nears, with uncertainty around the second round of talks looming, Trump is seen excessively defensive about the war. On Monday, he went on a posting spree on Truth Social and defended the war, publishing four of them in just a 50-minute span. Thereafter, he went on to repost several other posts, sometimes blaming Joe Biden and other times praising his ratings.
Trump's posting spree on Truth Social
Trump, first, defended his administration’s negotiations with Iran and slammed former President Barack Obama's administration's Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known as the Iran nuclear deal. He then slammed the Democrats, while stating that he is in no pressure to deal with Iran. He then said in another post that he is "winning the war by a lot." And then came his fourth post about oil that has been previously mentioned.
What we know about talks in Pakistan?
Trump has insisted that Iran is “going to negotiate” ahead of anticipated talks in Pakistan. He has already renewed his threat to blow up Iranian power plants, if Iran fails to strike a deal. Reports suggest that US Vice President JD Vance will be travelling to Islamabad for talks. Visuals from Pakistan shared by AFP also shows elaborate security arrangements. However, Iran said that it has still not decided and fears that talks might be a veil to strike Iran. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf said that Trump is trying to turn table of negotiation into "table of surrender." He added that under no circumstances will Iran can be pressurised for a deal. "We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats, and in the past two weeks, we have prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield," he wrote in a post on X.
Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.
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