U.S. President Donald Trump [Reuters=Yonhap News]

U.S. President Donald Trump officially confirmed that a maritime blockade against Iran commenced at 10 a.m. Eastern Time on the 13th (11 p.m. Korean Time).

Speaking to reporters at the White House on the same day, President Trump confirmed, "The maritime blockade against Iran (by the U.S. Navy) started exactly at 10 a.m."

President Trump claimed, "We have received communications from the other side (Iran), and they (Iran) desperately want a deal."

Reaffirming the principle of the nuclear deal that Iran must not possess nuclear weapons, President Trump stated, "We will take back that dust (enriched uranium possessed by Iran). We will get it back from them, or we will take it."

Separately, in a post on the social media platform Truth Social on the same day, President Trump announced, "34 ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz yesterday (the 12th)," noting it was the largest number since Iran began its de facto blockade of the strait.