Trump Claims US Hit Iranian Radar Three Times, Secretly Escorted Oil Tankers Through Hormuz
By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump on Friday has claimed that American forces repeatedly targeted Iranian radar systems and secretly escorted commercial oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz during the recent conflict, stated that the operations were to protect global energy supplies and preventing a spike in oil prices.
Trump claimed Washington protected global energy supplies by quietly escorting commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz while carrying out repeated military strikes against Iranian radar installations as he defended his administration’s handling of the Iran conflict.
Trump described a series of US military actions against Iran and said Washington deliberately kept the strategic waterway open instead of shutting it down because of the potential impact on the global economy he said in an interview in American media.
Trump alleged that US forces struck Iranian radar installations on three separate occasions after Tehran attempted to restore the systems.
“We blew up Iran’s radar; they had no radar, they still don’t. We blew it up again the other night. They had a nice new radar; they were all set to go, and we blew it up last week. They have to start all over again for a third time,” he said.
Trump replied, “We have all the assets,” when asked whether the United States remained prepared for further military action.
He also claimed the US Navy mounted a large-scale maritime operation to protect commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
“I did a blockade that was essentially not a blockade; it was a wall of steel. We have the great Navy, the greatest navy in the world. These guys are unbelievable. Not one ship got through to Iran,” he said.
According to Trump, the US chose not to close the strait because doing so would have disrupted global oil supplies and driven crude prices sharply higher.
“If I want to be the tough guy and close up the Strait for the next few years, where 20 per cent or 21 per cent of the oil never comes out, and you can’t get oil anymore, oil will be USD 350 a barrel, and there’ll be a depression,” he said.
He claimed, American naval forces escorted commercial tankers through the southern approach to the waterway under cover of darkness.
“Every night, we were taking ships out through the South, which is the furthest point from where they have their little weapons, and they were going along the coast with no lights for a month and a half,” Trump said.
He added that on one occasion, US naval forces escorted 22 vessels.
“Our Navy took them out. We escorted them out, and nobody knew. The lights were off, everything was off, everything was silent,” he said.
Trump argued that Iran’s economy had deteriorated significantly during the conflict.
“They have 300 per cent inflation, they’re making no money,” he said.
He also said his administration hoped American farmers would eventually supply food commodities to Iran.
“They need food. They need corn, wheat, and soybeans, and we’re going to have exclusively our American farmers provide that. Assuming we get to the position where we should get to,” Trump said.
He rejected media reports suggested Iran had emerged stronger despite the conflict, Trump criticised The New York Times reports
“The New York Times said the other day that Iran is in a better position now than it was four months ago,” he said.
“I said, wait a minute, their military is gone. Their inflation is up to 300 per cent from 5 per cent. Their leaders are gone. Their second row of leaders are gone. Some of their third row of leaders are gone. Their generals are mostly wiped out,” he concluded.
