President Donald Trump warned on April 13 that the United States could destroy any Iranian vessels approaching its newly announced blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. “Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our blockade, they will be immediately eliminated, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea,” Trump said in a post to TruthSocial. He was alluding to operations used against drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific. Trump said that Iran’s navy had suffered significant destruction, with 158 ships “completely obliterated.” He added that smaller “fast attack ships” had not been targeted previously because they were not considered a significant threat. U.S. Central Command later clarified that ships traveling between non-Iranian ports would still be allowed to pass through the strait, allowing continued traffic through one of the world’s most important shipping routes as long as Iranian ports are avoided. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said 34 vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. PUTIN’S OFFER Russia has offered to take custody of Iran’s enriched uranium as a way to ease nuclear tensions and revive stalled talks. The proposal could reduce proliferation risks, but it depends on whether Washington and Tehran accept outside control over a core issue in the dispute. Pakistan, Russia, and China are Iran’s alleged allies. None of the three would consider giving Iran a nuclear weapon. They know the leadership of Iran is unstable and generally crazy. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is just as zero-sum-minded as the Islamic clerics they protect. And there are so many of them. Having Russia take the uranium might be feasible. The post President Trump Issues a New Warning & Russia Makes an Offer appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.