Trump applies new condition on Iran talks: compensation from Tehran

President Donald Trump has added a new condition to discussions with Iran, stipulating that Tehran must provide compensation for past transgressions before the Strait of Hormuz can be reopened. The complex negotiations have not brought the two sides any closer to an agreement, as the latest demands seem to reduce the likelihood of a swift deal, despite expectations last week that an accord was imminent.

On Monday, Trump expressed his thoughts on social media, noting that Iranian representatives had requested compensation for the damages incurred during their recent five-month military conflict, a conflict that began due to their pursuit of a nuclear weapon. Although this condition was not mentioned in any of their previous negotiations, Trump found the idea intriguing.

He then reiterated his demand for Iran to compensate the United States for all the lives lost due to their actions, such as the numerous roadside bombs they have deployed and the many conflicts they have instigated, for which they are notorious. Trump also proposed that compensation should be extended to "the families of the hundreds of thousands of innocent protestors that Iran has killed over the last 50 years, not to mention the 52,000 that have been killed in the last five months."

The president instructed his representatives to incorporate these demands into all future negotiations. Over the weekend, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, a key figure in the Revolutionary Guards, outlined a series of extreme demands for reopening the strait, including US compensation for damages sustained during both the current war and the June 2025 conflict, which Israel primarily fought.