President Donald Trump described a recent US naval operation in the Middle East as “like pirates,” after American forces seized a ship amid an escalating maritime confrontation with Iran.

Axar.az reports, speaking at a rally in Florida on Friday, Trump said US forces boarded and took control of a vessel’s cargo.

“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 said. “We’re like pirates. We’re sort of like pirates. But we’re not playing games.”

The comments come as tensions continue to rise in the Persian Gulf following the start of a US-Israeli air campaign against Iran on 28 February and Tehran’s subsequent restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route.