Trump Posts Images Of Himself Seizing Iranian Oil Tanker
Newsweek · C · trust 51/100
0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. President Donald Trump has shared an AI image to Truth Social showing him seizing an Iranian oil tanker, as tensions between Washington and Tehran remain high and following his statement that he would declare the Strait of Hormuz U.S. territory after the war ends.
The image depicts the President on a boat, putting an American flag down as an Iranian flag lies on the floor, with two American soldiers behind him. The image has the text overlay: “It’s Our Oil Tanker Now!”
The Strait of Hormuz–a crucial maritime shipping lane that normally accounts for around 20 percent of global oil consumption–has been effectively closed since the U.S. and Israel launched their war on Iran in February.
While speaking at a police academy on Long Island, New York on Friday, Trump said “After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated, pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz strait a territory of the United States.”
The remarks signified an escalation in the president’s rhetoric about the strategically vital waterway. The degree of seriousness of these remarks, and whether it signals a new policy direction, was not immediately clear.
The president's remarks come as peace negotiations with Iran have repeatedly stalled, nearly six months into the conflict. Iranian officials have defied demands made by Trump and the U.S. has been blocking Iranian ports and shipping to put economic pressure on Tehran.
On Friday, Trump also addressed the toll on American soldiers who have spent almost nine months at sea on the USS Abraham Lincoln. There have been concerns over the mental health of the soldiers , as well as over supply issues related to the aircraft.
Trump rejected claims that family members have raised concerns about the length of the ships deployment and said that the deployment, which so far has been at a record-setting uninterrupted 240 days at sea, is "not nearly long enough".
He said that the “ship is moving right now, or very shortly, and it’s being replaced with another very similar ship.” Acting navy secretary Hung Cao said in a social media post on Friday that the Lincoln will “return home soon.”
The war has led to surging gas prices, widespread criticism, and impacted the president's favorability rating.
Speaking on Friday about the war, and how it has impacted oil prices, Trump said “I’ll never apologise. I did the right thing.” The president acknowledged he has used the U.S. military "a little bit more than I wanted to" during his second term
Trump has continually sparked controversy with AI-generated content of himself, including an instance in April when he posted an AI ‑generated image depicting himself as a Jesus‑like figure which drew widespread criticism before he later removed the post.
He later said the image was meant to depict him as a doctor.
Overnight, in addition to the oil tanker image, he shared an AI-generated “Trump 2028” campaign poster.
Since the beginning of his second term in office, Trump and people in his circle have suggested that he may run for a third term in 2028. Trump though has repeatedly change tact on the idea, saying at times that he wasn’t joking about running, and later saying it was not something he would do.
The U.S. Constitution rules out anyone running for a third term, and there is no precedent for a three-term president.
Trump also shared an AI image of himself and the comedian Rosie O’Donnell, that depicts him as a doctor treating her, the patient, for “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
The president previously posted a video in a similar style where he “treated,” various celebrities who have been critical of him, for TDS.
O’Donnell said in a statement responding to the original video, shared to Instagram “He’s quite ill – and getting worse daily. The 25 th Amendment exists for exactly this reason. Remove. Impeach. Convict.”
He and O’Donnell have been feuding for more than two decades, and Trump said in 2025 that he was considering revoking her U.S. citizenship.
Contact Newsweek editor on this story: Edward Pearcey.
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