Trump falsely claims Iranian Navy 'completely obliterated' with 158 ships destroyed, 98.2% of drug traffic stopped

On Truth Social, President Trump claimed Iran's navy had been 'completely obliterated' with 158 ships 'laying at the bottom of the sea,' and that 98.2% of illegal maritime drug traffic into the U.S. had ceased. These claims were made as a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz took effect. Trump simultaneously threatened to 'immediately ELIMINATE' any remaining Iranian 'fast attack ships' that approached the blockade. The contradictory statements—claiming the navy was already destroyed while threatening to destroy remaining vessels—undermined his own assertions. The 8 corroborating sources confirmed the blockade announcement and Trump's statements but provided no independent verification of the claimed ship destruction numbers or drug interdiction statistics. No Pentagon or U.S. Navy officials confirmed the destruction figures, and maritime tracking data showed no evidence of mass naval losses. The Daily Beast characterized the claims as unverified boasts made ...

"Iran's Navy is laying at the bottom of the sea, completely obliterated - 158 ships... Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED" — Posted on Truth Social announcing the Strait of Hormuz blockade while making unverified claims about Iranian naval losses