Tehran: The Iranian Foreign Ministry has launched a scathing verbal attack on the United States, following a series of military actions that have further destabilized the West Asia region. Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, in a series of pointed statements on social media, criticized what he described as the “whimsical adventurism” and “roguish behaviour” of the U.S. administration. Baghaei dismissed U.S. descriptions of recent military strikes as “light slaps,” arguing that such rhetoric cannot mask the “profound disgrace” caused by American greed and reckless miscalculations. He further accused Washington of “wooden-headedness,” a term he used to describe a government acting on preconceived notions while ignoring factual reality.
The diplomatic spat coincides with an escalation in physical hostilities at sea. The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed on Friday that U.S. naval forces disabled two more Iranian-flagged oil tankers, the M/T Sea Star III and the M/T Sevda, in the Gulf of Oman. According to CENTCOM, an F/A-18 Super Hornet launched from the USS George HW Bush fired precision munitions into the smokestacks of the unladen vessels to prevent them from entering Iranian ports. This follows a similar operation on May 6 against the M/T Hasna, as the U.S. maintains a strict naval blockade against the Islamic Republic.
Despite these aggressive maneuvers, U.S. President Donald Trump has downplayed the severity of the exchanges, characterizing the strikes as a “love tap” during a phone conversation with ABC News. Trump insisted that a regional ceasefire remains in effect, even as U.S. forces redirected 57 commercial vessels in the area. Before departing for a dinner in Virginia, the President suggested he might revive and expand a maritime security initiative known as “Project Freedom.” He hinted at a “Project Freedom Plus” model if a diplomatic agreement with Iran is not finalized soon, signaling that the U.S. is prepared to take a “different route” if negotiations remain stalled.
