Iran Urges US to Accept Defeat in War: Face Reality!

Iran has urged the United States to acknowledge a strategic defeat after President Donald Trump said he would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz as US territory following victory over Tehran in the war. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, as reported by Press TV and TRT World on Saturday (15/8/2026), asserted that Washington has suffered defeat in its attempts to impose its will over the strategic waterway. “Accept this reality once and for all; so far, you have suffered a serious and strategic defeat,” Gharibabadi said in a statement to the US via social media platform X on Saturday morning. “The Strait of Hormuz belongs to Iran, currently belongs to Iran, and will remain Iran’s; it will only be closed or reopened on Iran’s orders,” he stressed. “And as long as you refuse to acknowledge the reality of your defeat and continue to indulge in your delusions, Iran will continue to enforce the blockade (in the Strait of Hormuz),” the Iranian deputy foreign minister said. The Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for global oil and gas supplies, has become the focus of the latest dispute between Iran and the US, which have been in conflict for several months. Tehran has declared the strait closed in response to a wave of US and Israeli attacks that began in late February. Various diplomatic efforts to discuss reopening the strategic waterway have failed to produce concrete results. Trump further inflamed the situation with his latest comments on Friday (14/8), saying he would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz as US territory after defeating Iran in the war. He also asserted that the US Navy was enforcing a total blockade of the strait. “After we finish defeating Iran, which is suffering a crushing defeat, I will immediately declare the Strait of Hormuz as United States territory,” Trump said during a visit to the new Nassau County Police Academy in Garden City, New York. The US president also asserted that the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would remain in place, stating that “no ship can pass unless we allow it.” Gharibabadi, responding to Trump’s latest remarks, insisted that the Strait of Hormuz cannot simply be seized. “The Strait of Hormuz cannot be taken merely through a tweet or with an aircraft carrier, or by issuing an order, or by delivering an election campaign speech,” Gharibabadi said. “Iran is not intimidated by threats and does not waver in the face of shows of force,” he added in a separate statement via X on Friday local time. The Strait of Hormuz has become the latest flashpoint between Iran and the US, which have been at war since late February. Tehran insists on controlling all shipping in the strategic waterway, while Washington asserts freedom of navigation in the strait bordering Iran and Oman.