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

U.S. President Donald Trump dances as he departs after delivering remarks at the Nassau County Police Academy Center for Training and Intelligence in Garden City, New York, on Friday. | AFP-JIJI

REUTERS

Aug 15, 2026

Iran called on the U.S. to accept defeat while President Donald Trump blasted Tehran as “very evil” and told Americans to brace for continued high fuel prices as a result of the war.

Progress toward peace talks and oil tanker traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway remained halted, with no sign the warring parties were moving toward ending the conflict that the U.S. and Israel launched on ​Feb. 28.

“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,” Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi posted on X early on Saturday.

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