Iran demands US accept defeat as Hormuz shipping and peace talks remain stalled

Garden City, United States. Iran called on the United States to accept defeat, while President Donald Trump described Tehran as “very evil” and said Americans should expect higher fuel prices as the war continues. Peace talks and oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained stalled, with no indication of moves to end the conflict launched by the United States and Israel on February 28.

Iran’s position on the Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran would control the reopening of the strategic waterway.

“This strait will be opened and closed only under Iran’s command, and so long as you do not accept the reality of defeat and stop indulging in fantasies, Iran will continue to enforce the blockade,” Gharibabadi wrote on X early on Saturday.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran had not decided whether to resume talks with the United States. In an interview with Iranian outlet Shahrara News published on Saturday, he said Washington must meet Iran’s conditions concerning the strait before shipping could resume through the waterway, which handled one-fifth of global oil supplies before the war.

Fuel prices and political pressure

Trump urged Americans to accept higher gasoline prices while the conflict continues. Addressing a political rally in Garden City, New York, on Friday, he said paying “a tiny little bit more for your gasoline” was worthwhile to prevent “a very evil country” from obtaining a nuclear weapon, one of his stated reasons for the war.

The average US price of a gallon of gasoline was about $4.08 on Friday, up 29% from a year earlier, according to the American Automobile Association.

Trump, a Republican, campaigned for reelection on a pledge to lower energy costs. Democrats are seeking to make the effects of the war an issue in November’s congressional elections.

Oil market reaction

Crude oil futures rose by $1 a barrel on Friday. Benchmark Brent futures were on track for a weekly increase of 6.0%, while West Texas Intermediate futures were set for a 5.4% weekly gain.