Trump says Iran land blockade is "in full force", plans to raise the war with Xi and Putin
Donald Trump says Task Force Iron Gate is now in effect and that he expects to discuss the Iran war with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin at next week's APEC summit in China.
Andaleb Youns · Newsroom Intern, Cohort 1
2 min read
Donald Trump says the US land blockade of Iran is now in effect, and that he expects to discuss the war with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at next week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China.
"Task Force Iron Gate is in full force and effect in the Islamic Republic of Iran," Trump said, adding that "very little gets into, or out of, Iran," Gulf News reported.
The task force, made up of 20 members, aims to stop trucks, weapons and dual-use technology from crossing Iran's borders, adding to the US naval blockade.
Talks with Xi, Putin and Qatar
"One of the meetings, I think, will be with President Putin and President Xi. And that'll be interesting," Trump said, according to Gulf News.
Trump was also due to host Qatar's Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, at the White House on Monday. "We're trying to end the war in Iran, and we're doing well because, you know, all we have to do, we're choking it off," he said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the war, saying: "Sometimes, when you do the right thing, you don't know whether it's popular or not, but it's still the right thing to do."
Speaking about US allies in the region, Trump told reporters they were "a lot safer than they were six months ago because Iran's been very much decapitated, but they're still the bully of the Middle East," Al Jazeera reported.
Iran's response
Iranian state television reported that three projectiles were launched from the Sirik area in southern Iran towards the Strait of Hormuz, and that there were explosions in Jask and Bandar Abbas, with the causes not yet confirmed, according to Gulf News.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, had "ordered us to end the situation of neither war nor peace."
"We can talk with dignity and end the issue with dignity. We are people of dialogue and negotiation... But we will not surrender to force and bullying," he said.
Sources
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Andaleb YounsAndaleb Youns is a writer, researcher and literature enthusiast with a passion for storytelling and meaningful content.
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