Iran says it will not give up control of a key oil route. Officials in Tehran dismissed remarks from the White House about taking over the water lane. Tension remains high as both sides stand their ground. Kazem Gharibabadi serves as the deputy foreign minister of Iran. He posted a firm message online early Saturday. He urged American leaders to accept defeat. He told them to stop holding onto false hopes. He said the water pass will open only on Iranian orders. He added that the blockade will go on until the U.S. shifts its stance. The dispute focuses on the Strait of Hormuz. This narrow water path connects the Persian Gulf to open seas. It is one of the most vital ship lanes on Earth. One fifth of world oil passed through it before the war began. Now very few ships make the trip. The conflict started on Feb. 28. A 60-day deadline for peace talks ends on Monday. Donald Trump signed a deal in mid-June to set up those talks. Yet direct meetings have not happened. Both sides remain far apart on key points. Trump spoke to a crowd of police officers in New York on Friday. He claimed Iran was losing the war badly. He stated that he would soon declare the strait as U.S. land. He asked Americans to accept higher gas prices for now. He argued that paying a bit more at the pump helps stop a dangerous country from building nuclear weapons. Oil prices reacted quickly to the news. Energy markets had been calm for a short time. Prices rose again on Friday morning. Crude oil went up by one dollar a barrel. Brent crude showed a 6 percent rise over the week. Only two ships passed through the strait on Friday. Neither ship carried crude oil. In peaceful times, 130 to 140 ships cross the area each day. Some ship crews turn off tracking gear to slip by. Iran continues to fire on ships that try to pass. A cargo ship took a hit in the hull on Friday. The strike came from an unknown object in the strait. A British maritime team reported that the crew stayed safe. They could not give a full damage report right away. They also did not know if the hit caused environmental harm. Vice President JD Vance leads peace effort talks for the U.S. team. He spoke on television on Thursday. He said the main goal is cheap oil for American homes. The second goal is stopping Iran from making nuclear weapons. Leaders in Tehran say they do not want nuclear arms. Other nations are trying to help end the fight. Qatar and Pakistan act as peace messengers between the two sides. They pass notes back and forth continuously. Abbas Araghchi serves as foreign minister for Iran. He spoke to a domestic news outlet on Friday. He made it clear that message passing is not the same as direct talks. He stated that no direct talks are taking place right now. He added that Iran has not made any plan to restart direct talks with Washington. The blockade keeps global energy markets on edge. Daily life for shipping crews stays dangerous. The deadline for talks is very close. Yet neither side shows signs of backing down.