U.S. President Donald Trump has responded to Iran's demands for compensation for damages incurred during a five-month conflict, announcing that Washington will present its own compensation claims against Tehran in any future negotiations.
In a post on the Truth Social platform, Trump stated that he had reviewed Iranian demands for war compensations, highlighting that this issue had not been previously raised in talks or meetings between the two sides.
Trump asserted that the discussions of compensation prompted him to demand, in turn, reparations for American casualties and injured parties reportedly linked to Iranian operations over the past decades, also mentioning claims related to victims' families.
He also called for compensation for the families of Iranian protestors whom he claimed were killed over decades, reiterating Tehran’s responsibility for significant human losses. Trump announced that he instructed American negotiators to decisively address the issue of compensation in all future negotiations.
This verbal escalation occurs as Tehran has raised the stakes for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that nearing a consensus with Oman on a new maritime route does not automatically restore normal shipping operations.
Araghchi linked reopening the strait to a set of conditions, including Iran receiving compensation for what it describes as U.S. violations of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, alongside issues of sanctions and embargoes.
According to the stated account of the agreement, the Memorandum of Understanding signed on June 17th provided for temporary commercial passage through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days in exchange for the gradual easing of U.S. measures and entering negotiations for a final settlement.
Nevertheless, the understanding later faltered following mutual accusations of violations between Washington and Tehran, leading Iran to suspend its commitments and the United States to intensify its blockade on Iranian ports.
Consequently, the compensation issue has become an additional stumbling block in the negotiations, along with matters of navigation freedom, sanctions, and the nuclear program, threatening to complicate any attempts to reach a comprehensive agreement between the parties.