Iran: Iran said late Saturday that remarks by President Donald Trump likening US naval operations to 'pirates' amount to a 'damning' admission of Washington's actions at sea. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ismail Baqai said the US president openly described what Tehran considers unlawful seizures of Iranian vessels.

According to Anadolu Agency, Baqai wrote on US social media company X that the President of the United States has openly described the unlawful seizure of Iranian vessels as 'piracy,' brazenly boasting that 'we act like pirates.' He emphasized that this was no verbal slip but a direct admission of the nature of their actions against international maritime navigation.

Baqai urged the world to firmly reject what he described as attempts to normalize the conduct. He called on the international community, UN Member States, and the UN Secretary-General to firmly reject any normalization of such blatant violations of international law.

The remarks from the Iranian official came after Trump stated on Friday that US naval forces had seized a vessel, its cargo, and oil. Trump described the seizure, saying, '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.' He also added, 'We're like pirates. We're sort of like pirates. But we're not playing games.'