Tama Buresh
President Donald Trump lashed out at Pope Leo over his remarks opposing the war in Iran in a late-night post to his Truth Social page on Tuesday.
Pope Leo XIV has been vocally critical of the joint US-Israeli strikes in Iran, prompting the president to hit back and suggest that the US-born pontiff stay out of politics – a message he doubled down on in his post.
‘Will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed, protesters in the last two months, and that for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable,’ Trump wrote on his social media platform Tuesday night.
His repudiation of the pope came as the US military announced that a military blockade of the vital Strait of Hormuz waterway has been ‘fully implemented,’ leaving trade coming into and out of Iran ‘completely halted,’ officials said Tuesday night.
Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, made the announcement on X amid reports that a Chinese tanker and another vessel were forced to make U-turns after passing through the Strait, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes.
Oil tanker Rich Starry is owned by Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co Ltd. and became a target for US sanctions because it was used to transport Iranian crude.
After circling the area late on Monday and initially turning back, the 600ft long vessel passed through the waterway on Tuesday.
It then turned around and headed back to the Gulf at 11am UTC.
Rich Starry is a medium-range tanker that is carrying about 250,000 barrels of methanol, according to the data. It loaded the cargo at its last port of call, the UAE’s Hamriyah, the data showed.
Meanwhile, the Iran-linked Christianna carried out a similar route, passing through the Strait of Hormuz before turning around just before 4pm in the UK.
But US officials are now said to be gearing up for a second round of peace talks with their Iranian counterparts in Pakistan, with Vice President JD Vance reportedly set to lead the negotiations once again.
The vice president had met with Iranian officials over the weekend to iron out a peace deal amid a two-week ceasefire agreed to by both sides, but the negotiations ended without any deal after the Iranians pushed for the right to enrich uranium for 20 years, President Donald Trump has said.
Still, Vance has been engaging with Iranians and their intermediaries – along with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner – since the negotiations failed on Saturday, CNN reports.
Source: Dailymail.co.uk | Read the Full Story…
