Iran defiant on strait as Trump tells Americans to accept high gas prices

DUBAI/Cairo/New York - Iran urged the United States to concede defeat, while President Donald Trump accused Iran of being "very evil" and warned Americans to prepare for ongoing elevated fuel costs due to the ongoing war. Progress towards peace negotiations and the resumption of oil tanker traffic through the critical Strait of Hormuz remained stalled, with no indications that the opposing sides were approaching a resolution to the conflict that was instigated by the U.S. and Israel on February 28.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi asserted on X early on Saturday that the strait would only be opened and closed at Iran's discretion, and until the Americans accept Iran's reality of defeat and abandon their delusions, Iran would persist in maintaining the blockade. The Foreign Minister's office stated that Iran had not yet determined whether to resume dialogue with the U.S. Abbas Araqchi, Iran's Foreign Minister, told Iranian news outlet Shahrara News in an interview published on Saturday that Washington must adhere to specific conditions regarding the strait before shipping can resume in the waterway, which once facilitated one-fifth of the world's oil before the war began.