MK Tzvika Fogel (Otzma Yehudit), who chairs the Knesset’s National Security Committee, sparked controversy when he tweeted at U.S. President Donald Trump, urging him to act decisively against Iran.
“Donald, if you need to shoot - shoot. Don’t quack," Fogel wrote, adding a chicken emoji - a term commonly used in American slang to imply cowardice. In an earlier post, which he later deleted, Fogel had written that Trump had “proven to be a duck."
Fogel’s remarks came amid a sharp escalation in tensions between Washington and Tehran. President Trump announced a dramatic step, declaring a full naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
The decision followed reports that a recent round of talks between U.S. and Iranian representatives in Pakistan ended without progress. The White House also emphasized it would not accept what it described as illegal transit fees being imposed in the strategic waterway. Trump wrote on Truth Social that the US Navy would begin blocking all transit of the Straits of Hormuz until Iran opened them unconditionally.
He further accused Iran of “global extortion," adding that he had ordered U.S. naval forces to intercept and seize vessels in international waters that had paid fees to Iran. Trump also stated that U.S. forces would begin clearing naval mines allegedly placed by Iran, and noted that additional countries are expected to participate in the blockade, aimed at preventing Iran from benefiting from what he called unlawful practices.