Donald Trump Demands Iran Pay War Reparations Over 50 Years for Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump said his administration would seek payment from Iran for “50 years” of damages, framing the demand as compensation for deaths and injuries he said were caused by Tehran.

“Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday that his administration was going to seek payment for “50 years” of damages”

Al Jazeera

Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday that “They asked for reparations, you might say,” and said the U.S. would “ask for money for the damage they’ve done over a 50-year period.”

Al Jazeera

The standoff centers on Tehran conditioning reopening of the Strait of Hormuz on war reparations from Washington, with Iran saying it will not open the strait unless the U.S. meets its conditions.

The dispute is unfolding as talks between Iran and Oman over the waterway are ongoing, but Trump’s new demands risk complicating efforts to reopen the maritime passage, according to Al Jazeera’s account of the negotiations.

Trump also asserted the United States Navy has “100 per cent” control of the Strait of Hormuz after clearing mines, saying “It’s open now” and that “the only one that has control of the Strait of Hormuz right now is the United States Navy.”

In the same reporting, Trump described the U.S. military position as a “steel wall” and said, “They will, on occasion, drop a mine, and we find the mine,” as Iranian attempts to place mines did not affect Washington’s control.

ANI News

Iran pushed back by saying the strait would not be fully reopened until its demands are met, including lifting the naval blockade and sanctions, withdrawing American forces from the region, paying compensation for war-related damage, and releasing frozen Iranian assets.

The disagreement has kept tanker traffic through the waterway below normal levels, with oil prices climbing on Monday as tensions between Washington and Tehran increased, according to Business Standard’s account.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Iran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the U.S. meets its conditions, and Trump responded by demanding “compensation from Iran, for all of the people that they have killed and gravely wounded with their roadside bombs and many conflicts.”

“Trump responded that he is now demanding "compensation from Iran, for all of the people that they have killed and gravely wounded with their roadside bombs and many conflicts."”

Spectrum News 13

Trump added that “I have instructed my representatives to put this firmly into any, and all, future negotiations,” while the U.S. position is also reflected in claims that the U.S. Navy has “full control” of the strait.

The standoff is tied to Iran’s list of conditions for reopening, including lifting the naval blockade and withdrawing U.S. forces, and Time reported that Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr said, “Until America corrects its behavior, the Strait of Hormuz will not open.”

As the demands and counter-demands persist, Time described former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper calling Iran’s conditions “frankly ridiculous,” while the same reporting said the back-and-forth has further tarnished hope for a new deal.