Iran Vows to Keep Strait Closed as Trump Defends Fuel Costs
Iran says it will keep the Strait of Hormuz blocked until the US accepts defeat, as tanker traffic remains halted and Washington defends higher gasoline prices.
Iran has doubled down on its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, insisting the waterway will remain closed until the United States acknowledges defeat, while President Donald Trump urged Americans to accept higher fuel prices as the cost of containing Tehran.
In a post on X early Saturday, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the strait "will be opened and closed only under Iran's command," adding that it "cannot be seized by a tweet or an aircraft carrier." His remarks came as ship-tracking data showed only two vessels transited the strait on Friday, a grain ship and an empty dry bulk carrier, with no crude oil shipments visible. Before the war began on February 28, more than 130 ships passed through daily.
The comments underscore how far apart the two sides remain. There is no sign of renewed peace talks, and a tentative June deal to end the conflict has collapsed. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said no decision has been made to restart negotiations, though mediators Qatar and Pakistan remain in contact with Tehran.
Speaking at a rally in Garden City, New York, on Friday, Trump described Iran as "a very evil country" and said paying "a tiny little bit more for your gasoline" was a worthwhile price to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The average US gasoline price stood at $4.08 per gallon on Friday, up 29% from a year earlier, according to the American Automobile Association.
Trump also defended the deployment of a US aircraft carrier supporting the war effort, calling a 260-day mission "not nearly long enough." Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has pledged additional measures against Iran, with announcements expected next week.
Iran, meanwhile, is feeling the economic strain. President Masoud Pezeshkian blamed high inflation on the US blockade of Iranian ports and sanctions on oil exports. Tehran says its enforcement of strait traffic is a blockade, while Washington uses the same term for its threat against Iranian vessels leaving port.
The conflict is also spreading. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis fired six ballistic missiles at the Red Sea port of Mocha on Friday, killing four civilians, according to Yemen's internationally recognized government. The Houthi-run SABA news agency separately reported a drone attack on an Aramco facility in the Saudi city of Najran.