President Donald Trump on Monday escalated the fight over Iran compensation, saying Tehran should pay Americans killed or seriously wounded in attacks he blames on the Islamic Republic. In the same remarks, he said Iran should also compensate the families of Iranian protesters killed by the regime, sharpening a dispute that now sits alongside already tense discussions over the future of the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said he had directed his representatives to raise those demands in any future negotiations with Iran. On Truth Social, he cited what he described as years of violence tied to Iranian-backed attacks and said compensation should cover the families of those killed on the USS Cole, along with “thousands of others” killed in combat. He also said payments should go to families of “hundreds of thousands” of protesters killed in Iran over the past 50 years. Later, he repeated the message at the White House, telling reporters that if damages are to be paid, Iran should be the one to pay them.
The president’s comments came after senior Iranian officials demanded compensation from Washington as part of Tehran’s conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. In one Truth Social post, Trump said Iranian representatives were asking for compensation over damage from the last five months of military conflict and argued the demand was never part of previous talks. He called the Iranian request “an interesting idea” before turning the argument back on Tehran and saying the United States should seek payment for what Iran has done over a 50-year period.
Trump also broadened the issue beyond the U.S.-Iran dispute, saying Iran should be held responsible for damage and deaths in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Gaza. At the White House, he kept the door open on how far the talks might go, but refused to answer directly when asked whether Iran had used up its chances to reach a deal with the United States. When pressed about whether the last round of talks was Tehran’s final chance before possible decapitation strikes, he told reporters, “You’ll find out.”
