Iran on Saturday urged the United States to “accept defeat” in the ongoing conflict, while US President Donald Trump called Tehran a “very evil country” and warned Americans to prepare for higher fuel costs. The exchange underscored the widening gap between Washington and Tehran as hopes of renewed peace talks remained dim.
The comments came as commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remained severely disrupted, with both countries maintaining firm positions over the strategically important energy route.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said in a post on X that the Strait of Hormuz would remain under Iran’s control until Washington acknowledged what he described as its defeat.
He wrote that the waterway would be opened or closed only at Iran’s direction and that the country would continue enforcing the blockade as long as the US refused to accept the situation.
Gharibabadi also dismissed the idea that the strait could be brought under control through military deployments or political declarations, arguing that neither an aircraft carrier nor an order or speech could allow the waterway to be seized.
The latest confrontation comes months after the US and Israel launched military operations against Iran on February 28, triggering a conflict that has severely disrupted commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Before the war, the waterway carried around one-fifth of global oil exports.
DISRUPTION COULD PUSH OIL PRICES HIGHER
Shipping data from Kpler showed that just two vessels crossed the strait on Friday, with no crude oil shipments recorded. More than 130 vessels had been passing through the waterway each day before the conflict. Although some ships may have been operating with tracking systems turned off, analysts said traffic remained far below normal levels.
The disruption has already affected global energy prices, with Brent crude futures on course for a weekly increase of about 6 per cent and West Texas Intermediate futures rising around 5.4 per cent.
Trump addressed the economic consequences during a political rally in Garden City, New York, on Friday. While defending the costs associated with the conflict, he said he would eventually declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory after defeating Iran, without explaining how such a move would be carried out.
He also urged Americans to accept paying slightly more for petrol, arguing that preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon justified the additional expense.
The average US petrol price has risen to about $4.08 per gallon, roughly 29 per cent higher than a year earlier, according to the American Automobile Association.
The rise has complicated Trump's long-standing promise to bring energy costs down and has given Democrats an issue to raise ahead of the November congressional elections.
TRUMP SEEKS TO INCREASE PRESSURE ON TEHRAN
Trump also indicated that Washington planned to step up economic pressure on Iran. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US would announce additional sanctions and financial measures targeting Tehran the following week.
Iran, meanwhile, is also facing growing economic difficulties at home. President Masoud Pezeshkian blamed rising inflation on what he described as the US blockade of Iranian ports and sanctions affecting Iranian oil exports.
Diplomatic efforts have made little visible progress. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said no decision had been made to resume talks with Washington.
Although mediators such as Qatar and Pakistan remain in contact with Tehran and continue exchanging messages, Iranian officials have emphasised that these communications should not be interpreted as formal peace negotiations.
MARITIME SECURITY DETERIORATES
The security situation around the waterway has also worsened. The United Arab Emirates accused Iran of attacking another vessel operated by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company while it was travelling through the Strait of Hormuz, following reports of two similar incidents a day earlier.
Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said a bulk carrier had been hit by an unidentified projectile in the strait.
Tensions in the wider region have also been intensified by attacks carried out by Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen.
Yemen's internationally recognised government said the Houthis fired six ballistic missiles at the Red Sea port of Mocha on Friday, killing four civilians. Houthi media, meanwhile, claimed that the group had targeted an Aramco facility in Saudi Arabia's Najran using a drone.
