Archive · 16 Aug 2026
Iran defies US on Hormuz; Trump urges higher gas prices
Some countries are fighting a war.
America and Israel are fighting against Iran.
There is a very important waterway called the Strait of Hormuz, where giant ships carry oil.
Iran says it will keep this waterway closed until America admits it lost the war.
Because fewer oil ships can pass, gas for cars is getting more expensive in the United States.
A gallon of gas now costs about $4.08, which is 29% more than a year ago.
President Trump told Americans to accept paying a little more for gas, because he says it stops Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
He also said America will take control of the waterway after it wins the war.
Iran's leaders say America must meet their conditions before they will talk, and they blame America for high prices in Iran too.
Ships near the waterway have been attacked, and people are worried the fighting may spread.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the Strait of Hormuz will be opened and closed only under Iran's command, and the blockade will continue until the US accepts defeat.
Trump told a rally in Garden City, New York, that paying 'a tiny little bit more' for gasoline is worth keeping a 'very evil country' from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and said the US will take control of the strait after defeating Iran.
US average gasoline prices reached about $4.08 a gallon on Friday, up 29% from a year earlier, according to the American Automobile Association.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran had not decided to resume talks with the US and that Washington must meet conditions on the strait; the tentative June deal to end the war is in tatters.
Ship-tracking firm Kpler reported only two vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Friday with no crude oil shipments visible, while Houthi ballistic missile strikes on Yemen's Mocha port killed four civilians.
- Who
- US President Donald Trump, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and senior Iranian officials including Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, and President Masoud Pezeshkian.
- What
- Iran maintains its blockade of oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and refuses to resume talks, while US gasoline prices rise and Trump says the US will take control of the strait after defeating Iran.
- When
- The US and Israel launched the war on February 28; Trump spoke on Friday and Iran's latest statements came on Saturday.
- Where
- The Strait of Hormuz, Iran, and the United States; Trump spoke at a rally in Garden City, New York; Houthi attacks hit Mocha in Yemen and Najran in Saudi Arabia.
- Why
- Trump says the war prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, while Iran demands the US accept defeat before it will reopen the strait.
Iran's position
US position
Control of the Strait of Hormuz
Iran's position
The strait will be opened and closed only under Iran's command, and the blockade will continue until the US accepts defeat.
US position
Trump called Iran a 'very evil country' and said the US would take control of the strait after defeating Iran; he and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pledged more financial measures against Tehran, with new announcements expected next week.
Higher gasoline prices
Iran's position
President Masoud Pezeshkian blamed high inflation on a US blockade of Iranian ports and sanctions on Iran's oil exports.
US position
Trump said paying a 'tiny little bit more' for gas is worth keeping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon; Democrats are seeking to make the war's fallout an issue in the November congressional elections.
Peace talks and the June deal
Iran's position
Araqchi said Iran had not decided to resume talks and that Washington must meet conditions on the strait; he said the June deal's 'end of the war' no longer holds.
US position
Trump called a 260-day US aircraft carrier deployment supporting the war 'not nearly long enough,' and no progress was visible toward ending the conflict.
- Average US gas price
- $4.08 per gallon on Friday
- US gas price change (year over year)
- +29%
- Strait of Hormuz transits on Friday
- 2 vessels, no crude oil shipments (pre-war: more than 130 per day)
- Weekly crude oil futures gains
- Brent +6.0%, West Texas Intermediate +5.4%
- War start
- February 28, launched by the US and Israel
- June peace deal status
- In tatters
- Attack on UAE vessels
- Two Abu Dhabi National Oil Company vessels attacked Thursday; another reported Friday
- Houthi attacks
- Six ballistic missiles at Mocha port in Yemen (four civilians killed); drone targeting at Najran, Saudi Arabia
