Trump rejects Iran’s compensation demand, says Tehran must instead pay for ‘all the people they killed’

On Monday, US President Donald Trump rejected Iran's request for compensation for damages inflicted during the recent US-Israeli conflict on Iranian soil that resulted in the death of their Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran is demanding $300 billion in reparations from the US for the destruction caused by the US and Israeli strikes, as well as the release of up to $100 billion in frozen assets.

This demand is one of several conditions Tehran has linked to a potential reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement on Truth Social, Trump referred to Iran's compensation demand as an "interesting idea" and mentioned that he would propose a counter-demand in future negotiations. Trump noted that the conflicts began due to Iran's refusal to abandon its nuclear weapons program.

He also demanded that Iran compensate the US for the deaths and injuries of its citizens caused by Iran's attacks, including the 2000 USS Cole bombing and other incidents. Trump specifically cited the assassination of their late military commander, Qassem Soleimani, in a 2020 drone strike ordered by him in Baghdad, Iraq. Furthermore, he claimed that Iran was responsible for the deaths of thousands of people over the past five months due to its involvement in various conflicts.

Trump instructed his representatives to include this demand in all future negotiations. Iran insists that the US must agree to compensate it for war damage, lift sanctions, stop military threats, and release frozen Iranian assets before it agrees to fully reopen the strategically important waterway. Iran's ability to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has limited Trump's options, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Despite sporadic missile and drone attacks affecting commercial traffic and raising concerns in global markets, Trump maintains that the strait remains open, while the reporting suggests that Tehran is prepared for a protracted war. Iran's Revolutionary Guards stated on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until Washington accepts Tehran's demands, including compensation for war damage.

Iranian security chief Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr had previously called for an end to the "war and aggression" against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq. The Guards declared the strait a "theatre of war" until the US agrees to all of Iran's conditions.