Trump's U-turn on Hormuz? White House says Iran seizing ships NOT a violation of ceasefire
Trump said Iran’s seizure of cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz doesn’t violate the ceasefire, as they weren’t US or Israeli vessels. Karoline Leavitt downplayed the incident, while US forces continue a naval blockade amid rising tensions.
Iran seizing ships is not a deal-breaker for Trump
The White House has said that US President Donald Trump does not view the seizing of ships by Iran as a deal-breaker and a violation of ceasefire. This comes after Iranian Navy said that it has seized two cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz and escorted them to its coast. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the news has been "blown out of proportion, adding that the ships were not Israeli and therefore Iranians have not violated the ceasefire. Interestingly, this comes weeks after Trump threatened that of Iranians fires at any peaceful vessels, they “will be BLOWN TO HELL!”
What Karoline Leavitt said
When asked whether Trump views Iran seizing two ships in the Strait of Hormuz as a violation of the ceasefire, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, on Fox News said: “No, because these were not U.S. ships. These were not Israeli ships. These were two international vessels.” She cautioned the news media against “blowing this out of proportion.” Despite this, Leavitt highlighted the military successes in Iran, saying, “We have completely confused and obliterated their regime. They are in a very weak position thanks to the actions taken by President Trump and our great United States armed forces, and so we will continue this important mission on our own.” She also insisted that the US blockade of Iran's ports has been "massively effective" and "inflicting maximum leverage and economic pressure" on Iran.
Trump has NO deadline now
In an interview with Fox News, Trump said that there is "no time pressure" in dealing with the ceasefire or talks with Iran and that there is "no time frame" on when the war might end.
“People say I want to get it over because of the midterms, not true. The blockade scares them even more than the bombing. They’ve been bombed for years but the blockade they hate,” Trump said in the interview.
Iran seizes two cargo ships in Strait of Hormuz
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said that their naval forces had seized two container ships seeking to cross the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, directing them towards the Iranian coast. According to reports, one of the vessels, Liberia-flagged Epaminodas, was headed to Gujarat’s Mundra Port, according to ship-tracking data.
Meanwhile, US Central Command said US forces have directed 29 vessels to turn around or return to port as part of the blockade against Iran.
Trump extends ceasefire
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (Apr 21) announced an extension of the ceasefire on the request of Pakistani Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He claimed that the Government of Iran is "seriously fractured" and after the request from Pakistan, he has halted the plans to attack Iran till Iran submits a proposal - "until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal." He continued that military will continue the blockade and is ready and able, for further action.
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