TEHRAN — Iran has rejected US attempts to hold Tehran responsible for rising fuel prices, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei arguing that Washington is seeking to deflect responsibility for the consequences of the conflict and the disruption of commercial shipping in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.

In a post on X on Tuesday, Baqaei said US officials were blaming Iran for higher fuel prices while ignoring 'the origins of the conflict and the actions' that triggered the crisis surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.

“US officials blame Iran for rising fuel prices, as if the public’s memory is short enough to forget who actually initiated the war of aggression, and whose actions created the crisis that led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the disruption of commercial shipping,” Baqaei wrote.

The Iranian spokesman said the US narrative was an attempt to shift responsibility for the economic and energy consequences of a crisis that, in Tehran’s assessment, was created by Washington’s military actions.

His remarks come as tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz continue to weigh on international energy markets. The waterway is a critical artery for global oil trade, and disruptions to shipping through it can quickly translate into higher transportation, insurance, and energy costs.

Recent market developments have underscored the sensitivity of global oil prices to the situation. Brent crude futures rose 1.7% to around $102 a barrel on Tuesday, while West Texas Intermediate also gained 1.7% to about $97.40 a barrel, with investors closely watching developments surrounding the US-Iran conflict and the possibility of diplomatic contacts.

Baqaei also drew a historical parallel to challenge the US narrative, saying that portraying an offensive action as defensive was not new.

“This isn't a new trick, though. In 1939, Hitler similarly framed his invasion of Poland as a defensive action,” he wrote.

He concluded by questioning whether holding the victim of an unlawful “war of choice” responsible for its consequences could genuinely be regarded as “strategic brilliance” or instead represented a textbook example of “The March of Folly.”

Hormuz at the center of the energy crisis

The Strait of Hormuz has emerged as one of the central pressure points in the current regional crisis. Iran has repeatedly argued that the disruption of commercial shipping is a consequence of the military confrontation and measures imposed against the country, rather than an isolated development attributable solely to Tehran.

On September 7, Baqaei said the strait had remained open until the February 28 US-Israeli attack on Iran and accused Washington of creating conditions that disrupted the normal flow of commercial shipping and pushed up energy prices.

Shipping data reported on September 21 showed a sharp reduction in vessel traffic through the waterway, with only 17 commodity vessels transiting the strait over the weekend, compared with 37 the previous week and a pre-war average of about 125 vessels a day. 

The disruption has also exposed the limited availability of alternative export routes. Saudi Arabia, for example, has increased its reliance on the Strait of Hormuz after attacks disrupted its East-West pipeline, adding further pressure to tanker capacity and maritime transportation costs.

Against this backdrop, Tehran maintains that the economic repercussions of the conflict—including higher energy and shipping costs—should be considered in the context of the military confrontation and the resulting disruption to regional trade routes.

Iran has also been engaged in discussions with Oman over arrangements aimed at facilitating safe commercial navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, while insisting that the security and future of the waterway cannot be separated from the broader regional conflict and the actions of the parties involved.

Baqaei’s latest remarks therefore place the issue of fuel prices within a broader Iranian argument: that the economic consequences being felt in international energy markets should not be separated from the military and maritime developments that have disrupted one of the world's most important energy corridors.