Iran defiant as Trump tells Americans to accept high gas prices

US President Donald Trump has stated that he plans to declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory after defeating Iran. However, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi rejected this claim, saying the strait "has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian." Gharibabadi added that the strait cannot be seized by a tweet, aircraft carrier, or election speech.

The conflict between the US and Iran has caused gasoline prices to rise, with Trump urging Americans to accept the higher prices. According to Business Recorder, the US priority has shifted from preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon to bringing gasoline prices down for American consumers. The Treasury Secretary also mentioned that new economic punishment against Tehran is imminent.

Iran has effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a critical fuel supply conduit, in retaliation for the US and Israel's actions. One out of every five barrels of the world's oil exports passed through the strait before the war began on February 28. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister stated that the strait will be opened and closed only under Iran's command, and the blockade will continue until the US accepts defeat.

Brief written by urgent.news from Haaretz, Business Recorder, Live Mint, Channel News Asia, Free Malaysia Today — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.