US President Donald Trump announced via Truth Social that the United States would seek compensation from Iran for casualties across multiple conflicts, a move that came after Iranian negotiators demanded that Washington pay for damages from the five-month war as a condition for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Both The Guardian and Al Jazeera reported the development, with the strait having remained largely closed since US and Israeli forces launched joint strikes on Iran in late February.
Trump Demands War Reparations from Iran as Strait of Hormuz Negotiations Remain Stalled
US President Donald Trump announced via Truth Social that the United States would seek compensation from Iran for casualties across multiple conflicts, a move that came after Iranian negotiators demanded that Washington pay for damages from the five-month war as a condition for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Both The Guardian and Al Jazeera reported the development, with the strait having remained largely closed since US and Israeli forces launched joint strikes on Iran in late February.
Trump framed his demand as a direct response to Iran's own compensation claims. In his Truth Social post, he cited deaths and injuries caused by Iranian-linked roadside bombs and other conflicts, referenced the families of those killed aboard the USS Cole, and invoked the role of the late General Qasem Soleimani. He also called for compensation on behalf of civilians he said Iran had killed during domestic protests over the past 50 years, citing a figure of 52,000 deaths in the past five months of the war.
Roughly an hour after the initial post, Trump broadened the scope of his demand, according to The Guardian, writing that Iran should also be held responsible for deaths and damage caused to the people of Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Gaza.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which The Guardian reports 20% of global oil trade flowed before the conflict, has remained largely closed since the war began in late February, according to Al Jazeera. Both outlets note that Trump and senior negotiators have repeatedly claimed a deal is imminent, but none has been reached.
The compensation demands coincided with a separate breakdown in US-led peace efforts. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rejected a 15-point plan to end the war in Gaza put forward by the Trump-backed Board of Peace, according to The Guardian. Netanyahu stated that Hamas must fully disarm before Israel would consider any withdrawal, rather than the phased approach the plan proposed. He framed the decision as a refusal to yield to external pressure, including from the United States.
Trump, asked about his relationship with Netanyahu in the Oval Office, said it was 'very good,' according to The Guardian, without directly addressing the Israeli leader's public rejection of the peace plan.
According to The Guardian, the stalled negotiations carry domestic political consequences for Trump, as sustained high oil prices and inflation ahead of November's midterm elections are expected to create difficulties for Republican candidates.
- Iran's official government response to Trump's compensation demands has not been established by either source.
- The specific dollar figures or mechanisms proposed for any compensation arrangement are not detailed in either source.
- Whether formal negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz are continuing, paused, or broken off entirely is not confirmed.
- The current status of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's remarks about Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, referenced but not fully reproduced in the Al Jazeera source, is not established.
- Hamas's response to the rejected 15-point Gaza peace plan is not addressed by either source.
- Independent verification of the casualty figures cited by Trump in his Truth Social posts is not provided by either source.
- The Guardian — original — by Andrew Roth
- Al Jazeera English — by Enes Abuomer
Read the original at The Guardian