- The White House has accused Iran of acting like "a bunch of pirates" after its Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy fired on three ships and captured two in the Strait of Hormuz.
- White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the seizures by Iran did not violate the ceasefire with the US but instead highlighted the effectiveness of the US blockade in choking Iran's economy.
- “These two ships were taken by speedy gunboats. Iran has gone from having the most lethal navy in the Middle East to now acting like a bunch of pirates. They don't have control over the strait,” she told reporters Wednesday.
- Leavitt continued, “And to be clear, the blockade is on ships going to and from Iranian ports. And the point of this is the economic leverage that we maintain over Iran now. While there's a ceasefire with respect to the military and kinetic strikes, Operation Epic Fury continues and the crux of that is this naval blockade.”
- Trump indicated earlier in the day that a fresh round of peace talks with Tehran could potentially begin in the next few days despite Iran's prior demand for the lifting of port blockades as a condition for negotiations.
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