Iran’s Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaee, pushed back against President Donald Trump‘s claim that the Strait of Hormuz was a U.S. territory on Tuesday amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran.
Some Dreams Are Too Far From Reality
In a post on the social media platform X, Rezaee criticized the comments, saying that “the gap between America’s inability to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and its claim to own it” was “greater than the 7,000-mile distance” between Washington DC and the waterway itself. Rezaee then touted a “post-American order in the Persian Gulf.”
Read Also: Trump Says US Has ‘Total Control’ of Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s PGSA Says Waterway Remains 'Blocked'
He also shared an image with the post that illustrated the distance between the Strait of Hormuz and Iran, which was “0 miles,” while Washington was thousands of miles away. The image also had the caption “Some dreams are too far from reality.”
The gap between America’s inability to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and its claim to own it is greater than the 7,000-mile distance between Washington and the Strait itself.
— محسن رضایی (@ir_rezaee) August 18, 2026
Welcome to the post-American order in the Persian Gulf. pic.twitter.com/nC7VBCPILH
UKMTO Reports Strait of Hormuz Attack
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO) reported an incident on Tuesday when a vessel was struck by an unknown projectile in the waterway. “The impact caused damage to the starboard side of the vessel and resulted in a crew casualty,” UKMTO said, adding that there were no reports of environmental damage.
UKMTO WARNING 116-26
— UKMTO Operations Centre (@UK_MTO) August 18, 2026
Click here to view the full product⤵️https://t.co/bjtlNz35kf#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/KT3fM9vgDU
Gas, Oil Prices
On Tuesday, the national average price of gas surged to $4.0654/gallon, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA) data. Prices remained above $5/gallon on average in states like California, Washington and Hawaii.
On the oil front, prices surged amid escalating tensions, with the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude currently at $85.58/bbl at press time, while the Brent crude surged past $90 to $91.63/bbl at the time of writing this article.
High energy and fuel costs have continued to affect ordinary Americans, but Trump’s Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that the Iran war was not the only factor driving high prices, blaming clean-energy policies implemented under former President Joe Biden.
Trump Rejects Iran Ceasefire
The comments follow Trump rejecting an extension to the 60-day ceasefire following the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by Washington and Tehran. The deal was intended to act as a bridge towards broader negotiations between the two countries.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, on the other hand, blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for derailing the negotiations with the U.S.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) acknowledged that Trump could have handled the Iran war communication better, saying that the White House should have acknowledged the impact the war has had on affordability in the U.S.
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Photo courtesy: Below the Sky / Shutterstock
