Trump says will demand conflict compensation from Iran
U.S. President Donald Trump attends an event to sign executive orders related to birthright citizenship and the polysilicon industry, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., Aug. 6. Reuters-Yonhap
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday he would seek conflict compensation from Iran as part of any peace negotiations, citing attacks and atrocities stretching back decades allegedly backed or perpetrated by Tehran.
Iran is "asking for compensation for the damage done to them during the last five month Military Conflict... 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," Trump posted.
In what has become a regular pattern, Trump last week threatened to hit Iran "very hard," potentially with attacks against civilian infrastructure, only to pull back, hinting a peace deal was near.
His latest comments on Truth Social came a day after Trump said he was "low-keying" his approach to the conflict, suggesting that he was prepared to let economic pressure mount in place of further military strikes.
Digital media outlet Axios said that the U.S. president did not express any frustration with Iran's delaying an agreement to open the Strait of Hormuz in their interview with him published Sunday.
Tehran has demanded that the U.S. first end its blockade of Iranian ports and lift sanctions on its oil industry.
As negotiations have stalled, the strait's blockage by Iran has sent fuel prices soaring and rattled the world economy, putting pressure on Trump ahead of midterm elections in November.
In his post, Trump referenced the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000 and added that compensation should also "be paid to the families of the hundreds of thousands of innocent protestors that Iran has killed over the last 50 years."
"I have instructed my representatives to put this firmly into any, and all, future negotiations," he said.