Iran is publicly mocking the United States and tightening its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, even as Washington chases a deal that would hand Tehran exactly what it wants — and stick ordinary Americans with higher energy prices and yet another foreign concession.

The emerging agreement, brokered through Oman, would formally recognize Iran's authority over one of the world's most critical oil chokepoints. Iranian officials are demanding tolls of 5% to 7% on cargo transiting the strait, according to Fortune. That is a tax on global commerce that will hit American wallets at the pump. Meanwhile, Tehran's leadership is openly jeering at American diplomacy, and the White House keeps projecting optimism about an imminent deal. The pattern is familiar: decades of concessions, and a regime that takes every inch.

Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf mocked President Trump on Friday for backing down from threats of a "massive attack" while simultaneously claiming Iran wants to negotiate. "'Massive attack coming… wait, never mind, they want to negotiate.' That's theater diplomacy on loop," Ghalibaf posted on X. "Using bullying + broken promises + fake news as leverage is a failed strategy."

Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told state media that Iran would engage in diplomacy only from a position of strength. "Whenever we have shown unnecessary flexibility toward the U.S. and the West, their demands have only increased," he said, adding that coordination between "diplomacy and the battlefield" has never been stronger. He also announced a near-complete "understanding" with Oman to control the Strait of Hormuz under a "new model" — one that would force a "significant portion" of shipping through Iran's territorial waters on Tehran's terms.

Fortune, drawing on Reuters reporting, laid out what that model looks like in practice: Iran would control inbound traffic, bar U.S. and Israeli ships, and collect cargo fees. Oman has floated a 3% toll; Iran wants up to 7%. A source told Reuters the concession on Iranian control has already been made.

The U.S. official line is that the strait must remain completely open. "Any temporary routes will be without any impediments — meaning no approvals or permissions and no tolls or charges," a U.S. official told the Washington Post, as reported by Fortune. But the United States is not part of the Oman-Iran talks. The gap between what Washington says and what it is willing to enforce is the entire story.

Behind the concessions lies a hard reality: months of U.S.-Israeli bombardment failed to break Iran's ability to threaten shipping. U.S. inventories of key interceptors have reportedly hit critical lows. Global oil reserves are running thin. Breitbart noted that the Trump administration projected confidence throughout the week that a deal was at hand — just as with previous hints of a diplomatic breakthrough that never materialized.

Iran is also demanding the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade and the unfreezing of Iranian assets as conditions for fully reopening Hormuz. Fortune reported that Tehran has warned Gulf neighbors that any new American attack would trigger retaliation against critical energy infrastructure — and with U.S. interceptor supplies dwindling, those Gulf states are more exposed than ever.

Even Gulf officials have reportedly acknowledged that a temporary deal recognizing Iran's authority may be the best available option, according to the Wall Street Journal, as cited by Fortune. They are scrambling to add pipeline capacity to bypass the strait entirely — an implicit admission that the waterway is lost for now.

The question is not whether Iran is acting in bad faith. It is whether Washington will keep paying for the privilege of being mocked.