President Trump Issues a New Warning & Russia Makes an Offer

President Donald Trump warned on April 13 that the United States could destroy any Iranian vessels approaching its newly announced blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. “Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our blockade, they will be immediately eliminated, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea,” Trump said in a post to TruthSocial. He was alluding to operations used against drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific. Trump said that Iran’s navy had suffered significant destruction, with 158 ships “completely obliterated.” He added that smaller “fast attack ships” had not been targeted previously because they were not considered a significant threat. U.S. Central Command later clarified that ships traveling between non-Ir