US President Donald Trump on Monday responded to Iran’s conditions for a peace deal by demanding that Tehran pay compensation for people killed in wars, attacks and protests, escalating tensions as efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz remain stalled.
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"They asked for reparations, they asked for money for the damage that we've done. And I said, that's a good idea. Well, we're to ask for money for the damage they've done over a 50-year period.,” Trump said at the White House, adding that the payments would cover deaths among civilian demonstrators as well as US forces in the region.
"So if there's damages to be paid, I think Iran should pay those damages," Trump added.
Earlier, Trump rejected Iran’s demand for financial compensation for damage caused by US-Israeli military operations in the country, saying Tehran should instead be held responsible for casualties resulting from its own actions.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Iranian representatives were seeking compensation for damage caused during the "last five months Military Conflict", which he said began after Iran refused to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
Calling Iran’s demand an "interesting idea", Trump said he would put forward a counter-demand in future diplomatic negotiations.
Trump specifically referred to Iran’s late military commander Qassem Soleimani, alleging that Tehran’s leadership had been involved in conflicts that resulted in thousands of deaths. Soleimani was killed in a targeted US drone strike authorised by Trump in Baghdad, Iraq, in 2020.
Expanding his counter-demand, Trump also called for compensation for the families of protesters who he alleged were killed by the Iranian regime over the past five decades. He further claimed that 52,000 people had been killed during the past five months.
Trump said he had instructed US negotiators to include these conditions in all future diplomatic talks with Tehran.
The US government has blamed Iran-backed militants for the deaths and injuries of hundreds of Americans over several decades. These include the 1983 bombing of a US Marine compound in Beirut, which killed 241 US military personnel, and the deaths of at least 603 US troops in Iraq between 2003 and 2011.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Iran would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the US meets its demands.
Tehran has called for an end to the US blockade of Iranian ports, the lifting of economic sanctions and the release of frozen Iranian assets. It has also demanded compensation from the US for war-related damage.
“It is up to the US side to stop and make amends for its illegal and destructive actions,” Baghaei said.
