President Donald Trump on Monday responded to Iran's latest demands for compensation from the US, saying that he is likewise seeking compensation from Tehran for Americans killed and wounded in conflicts involving Iran.
“I see that Representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran are asking for compensation for the damage done to them during the last five month Military Conflict (started because, THEY WILL NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON), even though it was never mentioned in any of our negotiations or meetings!" Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Trump said he had instructed his representatives to include his demand for compensation in “any, and all, future negotiations."
The Iranian demands were presented Saturday by Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, as discussions continue over reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement carried by Iranian state media, Zolghadr said the US must lift its naval embargo on Iranian ports, end economic sanctions and provide war reparations.
He also demanded that American military forces withdraw from the region and that the US cease military actions against Tehran’s regional allies.
“The Supreme National Security Council will never give up, whether in war or in negotiations," Zolghadr said.
The Strait of Hormuz, a strategic maritime passage handling a substantial share of global crude oil shipments, has experienced near-total traffic halts following a series of Iranian strikes in the Persian Gulf. Iran and Oman remain in active dialogue regarding the waterway’s status.
Trump rejected Iran’s demand for compensation and outlined his own claims against Tehran.
“I am likewise demanding compensation from Iran, for all of the people that they have killed and gravely wounded with their roadside bombs and many conflicts, for which they are famous, as led initially by General Soleimani," Trump wrote.
He specifically cited the families of those killed in the al-Qaeda suicide terrorist bombing against the USS Cole in 2000, as well as “thousands of others killed in combat."
Trump also called for compensation to be paid to the families of “the hundreds of thousands of innocent protestors that Iran has killed over the last 50 years," as well as the 52,000 people he said had been killed in the last five months.
“I have instructed my representatives to put this firmly into any, and all, future negotiations," Trump wrote.
In a later post, the President wrote: "Also, with respect to the Iran negotiations, Iran should be responsible for the damages and death caused to the people of Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Gaza!"