Donald Trump has said the US navy acted “like pirates” as he described an operation seizing a ship amid the tit-for-tat American blockade of Iranian ports.

“We … land on top of it and we took over the ship. We took over the cargo, took over the oil. It’s a very profitable business,” said Trump at a rally in Florida on Friday.

“We’re like pirates,” he added to cheers from the crowd. “We’re sort of like pirates. But we’re not playing games.”

Trump’s comparison of US naval activity to piracy comes as legal experts raise alarms about Iran’s blockade of the vital strait of Hormuz and its plans to charge a fee for ships passing through it.

Tehran effectively closed the waterway – a key route for oil and gas shipments – after the start of the US-Israeli air campaign against Iran on 28 February.

The US announced a blockade of Iranian ports last month after peace talks in Pakistan failed to achieve a breakthrough.

The US Central Command, responsible for US forces in the Middle East, said it had redirected 45 vessels to “ensure compliance” with its blockade as of Friday.

Pete Hegseth, the Pentagon chief, told reporters in April that the blockade will last “as long as it takes,” while top US military officer GenDan Caine said it “applies to all ships, regardless of nationality, heading into or from Iranian ports”.

Iran has vowed to maintain its chokehold on the strait as long as Washington continues to blockade its ports.