Tehran tells Trump to ‘accept the reality of defeat’ and Hormuz will remain closed

The US president says America will also hit Iran hard economically as Washington and Tehran struggle to reach a deal to end a nearly six-month conflict

by Vishwam Sankaran, Alex Croft & Bryony Gooch

Iran has told Donald Trump to “accept the reality of defeat” as it declared that it will not resume talks with the US with the Strait of Hormuz set to remain closed

"This strait will be opened and closed only under Iran's command, Iran's deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi posted on X early on Saturday.

“So long as you do not accept the reality of defeat and stop indulging in fantasies, Iran will continue to enforce the blockade.”

Only two vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Friday with no crude oil shipments visible, according to analysis from ship-tracking firm Kpler. Before the war, more than 130 vessels would transit the strait.

It came before Donald Trump said he will soon declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory.

The US president had previously urged Americans to accept slightly higher gasoline prices while the conflict with Iran continues.

He also told Fox News that the US will hit Iran hard economically as Washington and Tehran struggle to reach a deal to end a nearly six-month conflict.

Iran condemns Israeli strikes on Lebanon

Iran condemned Israel’s recent attacks on southern Lebanon, which killed 11 people, including children.

Iran “regrets” the international community’s “continued silence and inaction of the United Nations Security Council in the face of blatant violations of international law and international human rights law”, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said.

He added that Tehran stood in solidarity with Lebanon “in its efforts to defend the country’s national sovereignty, independence, and dignity".

Iran says safe Strait of Hormuz route agreed with Oman

Iran says it has reached a mutual agreement for a safe route in the Strait of Hormuz for vessels with maritime neighbour Oman after weeks of negotiations.

The two countries are expected to issue a joint statement on the matter soon, Iran's foreign ministry said.

“Despite US obstruction, the talks have made positive progress over the past three weeks and an agreement has been reached on the shipping route map,” ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told state-run Defa Press.

Iran says talks with Oman and opening of Hormuz 'separate issues'

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran's ongoing negotiations with Oman and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz were "two separate issues".

“Our negotiations with Oman are ongoing. That is a completely separate matter," Araghchi said.

"I want to emphasise that these negotiations and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz are two separate issues."

“The routes that existed previously are no longer functional, so a new route needs to be defined. For now, we are designing a temporary route, which can then, at a later stage, be turned into a final route," the foreign minister said, according to Iran's Shahrara News.

Recap: Iran hits back at Trump’s move to declare Hormuz Strait a US territory

• Iran says it will keep the Strait of Hormuz closed until President Donald Trump “accepts the reality of defeat.”

• "This strait will be opened and closed only under Iran's command”, Iran's deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi posted on X early on Saturday. “So long as you do not accept the reality of defeat and stop indulging in fantasies, Iran will continue to enforce the blockade.”

• Ship-tracking data revealed that only two vessels passed through the strait on Friday, down from a pre-war average of over 130 daily transits.

• Iran’s new statement comes after Trump stated that he intends to declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory and promised to hit Iran hard economically.

• Trump advised Americans to accept higher gasoline prices as efforts to reach a deal to end the nearly six-month conflict continue.