President Trump says US Navy will begin blockade of Strait of Hormuz

During the phone interview with NewsNation this morning, President Donald Trump was asked about his social media posts in which he claimed that empty oil tankers will be coming to the United States to be filled with oil.

Trump sidestepped the question, instead repeating that “many of them” are on their way to the U.S. to “load up” with oil.

“Just take a look out at the great seas of our world, they're all, many of them are heading to the United States to load up with oil. We have plenty of it,” Trump reportedly said.

The NewsNation reporter pressed him, asking: “So is this because you're saying that Iran isn't opening up the Strait of Hormuz?”

The president pushed back, insisting that the strait will be open in the “not-too-distant future.”

“No, it's not because they are going to be open in the not-too-distant future. Iran's a failing nation. A very failing nation … And it's gonna be opened up. But I think people are seeing that there are other alternatives to going through the Strait.”

In another social media post this morning, Trump repeated his belief that the strait will be open “soon.”

“The Strait of Hormuz will soon be open, and the empty ships are rushing to the United States to ‘load up,’” Trump wrote.

-ABC News’ Emily Chang

A senior White House official confirms that the United States, Pakistan and Iran are holding a trilateral face-to-face meeting Saturday, per the press pool traveling with the vice president.

The "core" U.S. delegation includes Vice President JD Vance, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Dr. Andrew Baker, deputy national security adviser to the president and national security adviser to the vice president, and Michael Vance, special advisor to the vice president for Asian affairs, will also be in attendance as the broader U.S. delegation, according to a U.S. official.

"A full suite of U.S. experts on relevant subject areas are present in Islamabad. Additional experts are supporting from Washington," the U.S. official said, per the pool.

-ABC News’ Emily Chang

At least 10 people were killed and 9 others injured by Israeli military action in three incidents in the Nabatieh district, according to Lebanon's Ministry of Health. 

The Israel Defense Forces said more than 200 Hezbollah terrorists were hit in the past 24 hours. 

Paramedics and members of the Lebanese Health Authority are among the dead and injured, the ministry of health said.

"It has become clear that the Israeli enemy adopts a systematic method based on making health workers a military target, as they fall martyrs in every rescue action they carry out, which constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law," the ministry said. 

"The Israeli Air Force continues to strike Hezbollah infrastructure and aid the ground forces operating in southern Lebanon," the IDF said Saturday.

Four people were killed and four others wounded in an Israeli raid in the town of Kfarsir, the Lebanese Ministry of Health said in statement Saturday. Among the dead was a paramedic with the Lebanese Health Authority, the statement said.

Three people were killed and two others injured in an Israeli airstrike, the Ministry of Health said in a separate statement. One member of the Lebanese Civil Defense was among the dead, the ministry said.

An Israeli airstrike also killed three people, including a member of the Health Authority in the town of Tul, the ministry said. Three others including a paramedic were wounded in the incident, the statement said.

-ABC News' Guy Davies

President Donald Trump said the U.S. is “starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz,” adding that this is a “favor” to other countries that don’t have the “courage” or “will” to do this themselves.

“We’re now starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz as a favor to Countries all over the World, including China, Japan, South Korea, France, Germany, and many others. Incredibly, they don’t have the Courage or Will to do this work themselves,” he wrote on social media Saturday morning.

ABC News has asked the White House for more details on what the "process of clearing out" the Strait entails.

“Very interestingly, however, empty Oil carrying ships from many Nations are all heading to the United States of America to LOAD UP with Oil,” Trump added, repeating his earlier claim that empty oil tankers are currently on their way to the U.S.

The president continued to insist that Iran is “LOSING, and LOSING BIG!” and also repeated: “praise be to Allah” which he has previously written in a Truth Social post referring to Iran.

“Their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their Anti Aircraft apparatus is nonexistent, Radar is dead, their Missile and Drone Factories have been largely obliterated along with the Missiles and Drones themselves and, most importantly, their longtime “Leaders” are no longer with us, praise be to Allah!” Trump said.

-ABC News' Emily Chang