U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded that Iran pay compensation for people he said were killed or wounded by Iran, adding a new condition to talks aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump made the demand Monday after Iran said the United States must meet several conditions, including compensation for damage caused by U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, before the key waterway can be reopened.
“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,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Trump said the compensation demand would be included in future negotiations with Iran. He also called for payments to the families of protesters he claimed were killed by Iranian authorities.
He further suggested that Iran should compensate the families of those killed in the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, a U.S. Navy ship attacked in Yemen that killed 17 American sailors. The attack has been attributed to al Qaeda, not Iran.
The demand was not part of previous discussions between Washington and Tehran and could further complicate efforts to reach an agreement over the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei earlier said Tehran was close to a final agreement with Oman on new shipping arrangements through the strait. Iran, however, said the United States must first end sanctions and military threats and provide compensation.
The Strait of Hormuz is a major global oil and gas route. Before the conflict, about one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passed through the waterway.
The waterway has been effectively blocked since U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran began Feb. 28, pushing up global energy prices and contributing to inflation.
Oil prices rose after Iran outlined its conditions. Brent crude later traded more than 4% higher, while Dutch and British gas prices also climbed.
Trump has said the U.S. strikes were intended to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and reduce its ability to threaten countries in the region.
The United States and Iran agreed to a ceasefire in June, but Washington later imposed a blockade on Iranian shipping in the Gulf. Tehran said the move violated the truce.
Meanwhile, fighting involving Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen has added to concerns over shipping security in the region.
The Houthis have attacked ships near another major shipping route between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Yemen’s military said seven people were killed Monday in a Houthi attack on the Red Sea port city of Mocha, while air defenses shot down 11 Houthi drones.
