ISTANBUL: President Donald Trump on Saturday (May 2) described the US blockade on Iranian ports as a "very friendly” and unchallenged measure, arguing it does not contradict his assertion that hostilities have been "terminated”, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
Responding to a question from a reporter in the US state of Florida about how he could declare an end to hostilities while the naval blockade remains in place, Trump said, "Well, it is a very friendly blockade. Nobody is even challenging it. Nobody at all is challenging it.”
In a separate post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he will soon review a proposed Iranian plan aimed at ending the war, while expressing scepticism about its prospects.
He said he doubts it will be "acceptable", adding that "They have not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to humanity and the world over the last 47 years.”
Trump also said that previous presidents had taken part in major actions without going through Congress and argued that those moves were widely viewed as "unconstitutional".
Trump criticised Democrats in Congress, and some Republicans, for undermining what he described as strong negotiating leverage. "No other president's done it. And I'm not going to be the first," he said.
The US president informed Congress on Friday that hostilities with Iran had ended, following a ceasefire that has held since early April.
"On April 7, 2026, I ordered a 2-week ceasefire. The ceasefire has since been extended. There has been no exchange of fire between United States forces and Iran since April 7, 2026.
"The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have terminated," Trump wrote in separate letters to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senator Chuck Grassley.
Friday marked 60 days since Trump formally notified Congress of military action against Iran. Under the 1973 War Powers Act, the president must seek congressional authorisation to continue hostilities beyond 60 days. — Bernama-Anadolu
