When asked about negotiations with Tehran, Trump stated: "We have been talking to them, but they don't even know who is running the country", referring to the complex Iranian power structure. He also asserted that the United States has full control of the Strait of Hormuz, a key point for global energy trade.
"Right now we have it closed," declared the president, adding that he will not allow its reopening by Iran because "I don't want them to make $500 million a day until they resolve this issue".
Hours earlier, Trump had posted on social media that he ordered the U.S. military to "shoot and kill" Iranian vessels attempting to mine the area. The move comes after the seizure of a new tanker linked to Iranian oil smuggling, escalating the conflict with Tehran.
The U.S. Department of Defense released images of the operation on the Majestic X ship, intercepted in the Indian Ocean, in a context of maximum geopolitical tension.