By The Washington Times (World News) | Created at 2026-08-13 14:55:35 | Updated at 2026-08-13 16:20:08
3 hours ago
Iranian officials on Thursday said the U.S. “miscalculated” in waging war on their country and demanded payment for environmental damage in the Strait of Hormuz.
The taunting from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi seemed to be a direct response to President Trump, who one day earlier said Iran’s economy was failing and its leaders were relying on bluster, or “fake news,” to hobble along.
“The U.S. has long miscalculated due to intelligence failures. Case in point: The war on Iran. Now, an even bigger miscalculation on the Strait of Hormuz,” Mr. Araghchi said on X. “Worse than fake news is fake intelligence. Be careful. Allah is Great, Greater than ANY power on Earth. In Allah we trust.”
The last part was a dig at Mr. Trump saying “praise be to Allah” because he thought Iran could no longer be a bully in the Middle East.
The two sides are trading insults as the war approaches the six-month mark.
Mr. Trump launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28 to prevent the Islamic regime from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Tehran retaliated by restricting oil traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, triggering a cycle of violence and diplomacy.
Middle East mediators remain hopeful of a deal to reopen the waterway and settle the war, though Iran continues to dig in with new demands.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei on Thursday said the future administration of the Strait of Hormuz must factor in payment for environmental damage to the waterway caused by commercial shipping and warfare.
As an example, he pointed to oil pollution along the shores of Qeshm Island.
“As the country with the longest coastline along the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, Iran cannot remain indifferent,” Mr. Baqaei said on X. “Every party that benefits from commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz carries both a legal and a moral obligation to remediate the environmental harm inflicted upon the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.”
