{"id":469169,"date":"2026-05-05T07:41:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T07:41:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/469169\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T07:41:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T07:41:18","slug":"trump-threatens-to-blow-iranian-troops-off-face-of-the-earth-if-they-target-us-ships-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/469169\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump threatens to blow Iranian troops \u2018off face of the earth\u2019 if they target US ships \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Main Points<\/p>\n<ul class=\"c-unordered-list \">\n<li class=\"c-list-item \">US president <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irishtimes.com\/tags\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.irishtimes.com\/tags\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> warned <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irishtimes.com\/tags\/iran\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.irishtimes.com\/tags\/iran\/\">Iran<\/a> that its forces will be \u201cblown off the face of the earth\u201d if they attempt to target <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irishtimes.com\/tags\/united-states\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.irishtimes.com\/tags\/united-states\/\">US<\/a> vessels guiding ships through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-list-item \">Iran\u2019s army commander in chief, Maj Gen Amir Hatami, warned any attempt by US aircraft carriers to approach the Strait of Hormuz would be met with force <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-list-item \">Iran also fired projectiles at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irishtimes.com\/tags\/united-arab-emirates\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.irishtimes.com\/tags\/united-arab-emirates\/\">United Arab Emirates<\/a> and Oman after the US military launched Project Freedom to ensure ships could again pass through the strait<\/li>\n<li class=\"c-list-item \">Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said events in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday made it clear \u201cthat there\u2019s no military solution to a political crisis\u201d<\/li>\n<li class=\"c-list-item \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.irishtimes.com\/business\/2026\/05\/04\/shares-volatile-as-mideast-tensions-continue\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.irishtimes.com\/business\/2026\/05\/04\/shares-volatile-as-mideast-tensions-continue\/\">Oil prices <\/a>fell back 1 per cent over night having risen by around 6 per cent on Monday after the UAE and South Korea reported strikes on ships in the Strait of Hormuzl on Monday. This brought oil prices to $113.22 per barrel<\/li>\n<li class=\"c-list-item \"> Global oil prices are around 50 per cent higher since the US and Israel attacked Iran <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-list-item \">The US and Iran announced a ceasefire in early April <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-list-item \">This saw Iran end drone and missile strikes on Gulf countries but shipping through the strait has not recovered<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Key Reads <\/p>\n<p>Hugh Dooley &#8211; 5 minutes ago<\/p>\n<p>Maersk says shipping vessel transited Strait under US protection<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">A vessel belonging to Danish shipping giant Maersk has sailed through the Strait of Hormuz under escort from US naval assets, the company said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">Maersk said it was \u201coffered the opportunity\u201d for the US Alliance Fairfax shipping vessel to leave the gulf in which it was been stuck since the war began in late February.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">\u201cThe vessel subsequently exited the Persian Gulf accompanied by U.S. military assets\u201d the company said in a statement to CBS News.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">\u201cThe transit was completed without incident, and all crew members are safe and unharmed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" alt=\"A similar cargo ship carrying containers from the Danish company Maersk photographed sailing through the Panama Canal. Photograph: MARTIN BERNETTI, AFP via Getty Images\" class=\"c-image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/57N35EORFRE3TWKGUMXAZEGDZQ.jpg\"   width=\"800\" height=\"533\"\/>A similar cargo ship carrying containers from the Danish company Maersk photographed sailing through the Panama Canal. Photograph: MARTIN BERNETTI, AFP via Getty Images <img decoding=\"async\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" alt=\"A cargo ship carrying containers from the Danish company Maersk sails into the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal in Panama City on April 21, 2026. According to the Panama Canal Authority, transit through the canal has increased due to the war in the Middle East. (Photo by MARTIN BERNETTI \/ AFP via Getty Images)\" class=\"c-image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/LXEAF2XHF7TAPDP5F6ECVKPIRU.jpg\"   width=\"800\" height=\"533\"\/>A cargo ship carrying containers from the Danish company Maersk sails into the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal in Panama City on April 21, 2026. According to the Panama Canal Authority, transit through the canal has increased due to the war in the Middle East. (Photo by MARTIN BERNETTI \/ AFP via Getty Images) <\/p>\n<p>Hugh Dooley &#8211; 35 minutes ago<\/p>\n<p>India condemns \u2018unacceptable\u2019 attack on UAE that injured Indian citizens<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">India\u2019s ministry of external affairs said the attack on Fujairah in the UAE \u2013 which injured three Indian nationals \u2013 was \u201cunacceptable\u201d and called for an immediate end to the \u201ctargeting of civilian infrastructure and innocent civilians\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">Officials in Fujairah \u200csaid yesterday that a \u200bfire broke \u200bout at the \u2060Fujairah Oil \u200bIndustry Zone following \u200bwhat they described as a drone \u200battack originating \u200bfrom Iran.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">Civil defence teams \u200cwere \u2060deployed immediately to contain the blaze, Fujairah \u200bMedia \u200boffice \u2060said in a statement. &#8211; Guardian<\/p>\n<p>Hugh Dooley &#8211; 57 minutes ago<\/p>\n<p>South Korea to \u2018review position\u2019 on joining US Hormuz operation<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">The South Korean defence ministry said the country will \u201creview its position\u201d on joining the US operations in the Strait of Hormuz after an explosion hit a South Korean cargo vessel on Monday. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">South Korea\u2019s foreign ministry said Tuesday that all 24 crew members aboard the stricken HMM Namu &#8212; including six South Korean nationals &#8212; were unharmed and the fire on the vessel had been \u201ccompletely extinguished\u201d, CBS News has reported.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">US president Donald Trump called on the South Korean government to join in his efforts in the middle east following the attack, claiming the Asian country is reliant on fuel from the region.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">South Korea ministry of defence said it would \u201ccarefully review our position\u201d, noting its considerations would include an analysis of international law and its alliance with the United States, among other factors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">It added that it had been \u201cactively participating in international discussions on cooperation to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Status quo at Strait of Hormuz is \u2018unsustainable\u2019 for the US says Iran<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">The speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf has claimed the continuation of the \u2018status quo\u2019 at the Strait of Hormuz is \u2018unsustainable\u2019 for the US.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">The US central command has said more than 100 land and sea-based aircraft, F-16 fighter aircraft, are in the region attempting to are \u201cprotect US forces and defend commercial shipping\u201d.\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">Ghalibaf said, in a statement on X, that the security of the vital shipping lane has been jeopardized by the US and its allies. The imposition of the blockade on Iranian shores, Tehran said, is a violation of the ceasefire.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">\u201cA new equation\u201d is being established in the region, the speaker of the Iranian parliament said.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter aircraft are among more than 100 land and sea-based aircraft supporting Project Freedom. During the defensive operation, these advanced warfighting platforms are helping to protect U.S. forces and defend commercial shipping. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/7boqPZ1rSZ\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/7boqPZ1rSZ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CENTCOM\/status\/2051457708780372215?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">May 5, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> Shares falter and oil prices retreat<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">Stocks fell in Asia on Tuesday while oil prices retreated after the previous day\u2019s surge but remained well above $100 a barrel, as the US and Iran traded blows over the Strait of Hormuz, \u200cleaving a fragile truce hanging in the balance. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">Traders also had their eyes on the yen after the Japanese currency briefly jumped in the previous session, stoking speculation of another round of intervention from Tokyo. Eurostoxx 50 futures were \u200bdown 0.3 per cent and FTSE futures shed 1 per cent, while DAX futures lost 0.4 per cent. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">In Asia, MSCI\u2019s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan dropped 0.6 per cent in thin trade, with markets in Japan and South Korea closed for a holiday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">Hong Kong\u2019s Hang Seng Index lost more than 1 per cent while China\u2019s CSI300 blue-chip index was little changed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">In oil markets, Brent crude futures fell 1.3 per cent to $112.93 a barrel while U.S. crude slid 2.3 per cent to $104 per barrel, having both jumped in the \u200cprevious session on heightened worries about supply disruption.<\/p>\n<p>Hugh Dooley &#8211; 2 hours ago<\/p>\n<p>Missile strikes reported in Oman, Dubai <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">Violence flared anew in and around the Persian Gulf on Monday, as the United Arab Emirates said Iran had fired missiles and drones at its territory and the US military said it sank several Iranian military boats.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">UAE authorities blamed Iran for attacks on a major oil port and an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, in the first such attacks since the truce began four weeks ago. Oman also reported an attack that injured two people in the coastal town of Bukha, near UAE territory.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">Loud explosions shook the UAE city of Dubai as air defence missiles detonated high overhead. US Central Command said it had shot down Iranian missiles and drones aimed at ships and around the strait.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" alt=\"An Emirati patrol boat is seen near a tanker anchored in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz. Photograph: Fatima Shbair\/AP\" class=\"c-image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/THC5JPYRL7MTBEUMTKU7473JTQ.jpg\"   width=\"800\" height=\"533\"\/>An Emirati patrol boat is seen near a tanker anchored in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz. Photograph: Fatima Shbair\/AP <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">Iran did not officially confirm or deny that it had resumed attacks , and a senior military official denied on state media that its boats had been sunk.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">Iran has frequently targeted energy infrastructure in Gulf countries that host US military bases since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irishtimes.com\/tags\/israel-iran-conflict\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.irishtimes.com\/tags\/israel-iran-conflict\">Israel and the United States <\/a>attacked in late February, beginning the war. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">At least three Indian citizens were injured when an Iranian drone struck an oil industrial zone in Fujairah, a UAE port in the southern end of the Strait of Hormuz, local authorities said. Oman, without assigning blame, said a residential building near the strait had been struck, with two people injured.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">No casualties were reported in the attack on a UAE oil tanker.<\/p>\n<p>Hugh Dooley &#8211; 2 hours ago<\/p>\n<p>South Korea to investigate explosion on ship<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">Seoul said that authorities will investigate the cause of an explosion and fire on a South Korean-operated ship in the Strait of Hormuz in an incident US president Donald Trump blamed on an Iranian attack.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">\u201cThe exact cause of the accident would be figured out after the vessel is \u200btowed and its damage is assessed,\u201d South Korea\u2019s foreign ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">The Panama-flagged cargo ship operated by South Korean shipper HMM \u2060was empty and at anchor when the explosion and fire occurred on Monday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">The ministry said there were \u200cno \u200ccasualties \u200band the fire in the engine room had been extinguished. The ship, named HMM Namu, would be towed to a nearby port so that the damage could be assessed and repairs carried \u2060out, the ministry said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">An HMM spokesperson said \u200bthe 24 crew remained on board the 35,000-ton vessel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">In a post on the Truth Social platform, Trump said Iran had fired shots at the ship and other targets as the US launched an operation seeking to open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">He suggested it \u200ccould be time for South \u2060Korea to join his new effort to help guide stranded ships through the waterway.<\/p>\n<p>Hugh Dooley &#8211; 2 hours ago<\/p>\n<p>Trump threatens to blow Iranian forces \u2018off the face of the earth\u2019<img decoding=\"async\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" alt=\"US president Donald Trump. Photograph: Allison Robbert\/The New York Times\" class=\"c-image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/UVD6KHS4YT67QJNRO6M6GWX2UI.jpg\"   width=\"800\" height=\"533\"\/>US president Donald Trump. Photograph: Allison Robbert\/The New York Times <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.irishtimes.com\/tags\/donald-trump\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.irishtimes.com\/tags\/donald-trump\">Donald Trump<\/a> has threatened that<a href=\"https:\/\/www.irishtimes.com\/tags\/iran\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.irishtimes.com\/tags\/iran\"> Iran<\/a>\u2018s armed forces will be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irishtimes.com\/world\/middle-east\/2026\/05\/04\/ceasefire-all-but-over-after-trumps-project-freedom-in-the-strait-of-hormuz-provokes-iran\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.irishtimes.com\/world\/middle-east\/2026\/05\/04\/ceasefire-all-but-over-after-trumps-project-freedom-in-the-strait-of-hormuz-provokes-iran\/\">\u201cblown off the face of the earth\u201d if they attack<\/a> US vessels trying to reopen a route through the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">The US launched an operation on Monday to help hundreds of ships trapped with their crews in the Gulf, dragging the region back to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irishtimes.com\/tags\/israel-iran-conflict\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.irishtimes.com\/tags\/israel-iran-conflict\">brink of full-scale war.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">Tehran sought to reassert its blockade on the strait, which is a vital waterway in global trade. While the US military claimed to have destroyed six Iranian small boats and intercepted both Iranian cruise missiles and drones, this was denied by Iran.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">Trump\u2019s comments call into question the fragile, Pakistan-brokered ceasefire that halted hostilities last month, but failed to open up the strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of international oil supplies usually travel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">More than 800 ships and roughly 20,000 crew members remain stranded in the region.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph free \">Trump\u2019s threats against Iran echo remarks he made in April, when he warned that a \u201cwhole civilization will die\u201d if Tehran failed to comply with his demands \u2013 comments that drew widespread domestic and international backlash. <\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Main Points US president Donald Trump warned Iran that its forces will be \u201cblown off the face of&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":469170,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[9,10,2190,356,13,14,6,18929,11,12,15,16,5,7,8,389,65,66,67],"class_list":{"0":"post-469169","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-breaking-news","9":"tag-breakingnews","10":"tag-cost-of-living","11":"tag-donald-trump","12":"tag-featured-news","13":"tag-featurednews","14":"tag-headlines","15":"tag-iran","16":"tag-latest-news","17":"tag-latestnews","18":"tag-main-news","19":"tag-mainnews","20":"tag-news","21":"tag-top-stories","22":"tag-topstories","23":"tag-united-arab-emirates","24":"tag-world","25":"tag-world-news","26":"tag-worldnews"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116520845251650443","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469169","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=469169"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469169\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/469170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=469169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=469169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=469169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}