CAIRO, Egypt and WASHINGTON, D.C. — Iran remained defiant over the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday as U.S. President Donald Trump urged Americans to accept higher gasoline prices, saying the economic cost was part of the effort to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons, while attacks on commercial vessels and Israeli strikes in Lebanon added to mounting tensions across the Middle East.
Iranian officials called on Washington to accept defeat and continued to insist that shipping through the strategic waterway would not return to normal without conditions being met by the United States. Reuters reported that oil tanker traffic through the strait has effectively halted, with no crude oil vessels recently recorded transiting the waterway as prospects for renewed peace talks remained uncertain.
The latest escalation came after a tanker owned by Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., or ADNOC, was attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Friday evening, according to the United Arab Emirates’ state-run WAM news agency. No injuries were reported. The UAE accused Iran of carrying out the attack and called for the waterway to be fully reopened. Iran had not publicly commented on the latest incident in the reports available Saturday.
The incident was the third reported attack involving an ADNOC-operated vessel in the strait within a week, further raising concerns over the safety of international shipping and the impact on global energy supplies. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency separately reported that a vessel was struck by an unidentified projectile in the area.
The shipping crisis has already pushed oil prices higher. Reuters reported that Brent crude rose $1.45 to $88.52 a barrel on Friday, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate gained $1.15 to $82.40. Brent was on track for a weekly increase of about 6%, while WTI was headed for a gain of roughly 5.4%.
Trump said Americans should be prepared to pay more at the pump as the confrontation with Iran continues. U.S. gasoline prices were averaging about $4.08 per gallon, according to Reuters, about 29% higher than a year earlier. Trump described the higher prices as a cost of confronting Iran over its nuclear program.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints. U.S. Energy Information Administration data show that oil flows through the strait averaged about 20.9 million barrels per day during the first half of 2025, equivalent to roughly 20% of global petroleum liquids consumption. More than 20% of global LNG trade also passed through the waterway during that period.
The International Energy Agency has warned that the conflict and the de facto closure of Hormuz have delivered a major shock to global natural gas markets. The agency said LNG flows through the strait had previously accounted for almost one-fifth of global LNG supply, contributing to sharp price volatility after the conflict began.
Maritime safety has also deteriorated significantly. The International Maritime Organization has documented dozens of attacks on commercial vessels in and around the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict began and has repeatedly called for the protection of civilian shipping, seafarers and freedom of navigation under international law.
The crisis is also being felt elsewhere in the region. In Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes on Saturday killed at least nine people in the country’s south, including three children, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry and the Associated Press. Seven people were killed when an Israeli strike hit a home near Ansar, while two others were killed and nine wounded in Deir al-Zahrani.
The strikes were among the deadliest in Lebanon since a truce with Hezbollah took effect on June 20. Israeli authorities said their military was targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in response to recent attacks and provocations against Israeli forces. Hezbollah has not claimed responsibility for the incident that Israel cited as justification for the latest strikes.
Lebanese officials condemned the attacks and warned that the continued Israeli military operations could further undermine regional stability and efforts to implement arrangements intended to reduce hostilities between Israel and Lebanon.
In Yemen, Iran-backed Houthi rebels also launched a missile attack on Mokha port that killed one person and wounded eight, according to the Associated Press. Two marines were reported missing after the attack, adding another potential flashpoint to a regional conflict already affecting major maritime routes.
The developments come as diplomatic efforts to end the U.S.-Iran conflict remain stalled. The continuing confrontation around Hormuz, combined with attacks on shipping and renewed violence in Lebanon and Yemen, has increased uncertainty over energy supplies, international trade and the prospects for a broader regional de-escalation.
For countries heavily dependent on imported oil and liquefied natural gas, prolonged disruption in Hormuz could translate into higher fuel, transportation and electricity costs. Asian economies are particularly exposed because the majority of oil and LNG moving through the strait is destined for markets in Asia.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
- EDGARDO HERNAL
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