Trump Demands Iran Compensate Victims as Iran Sets Conditions to Reopen Strait of Hormuz

The United States and Iran exchanged new demands during negotiations for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, raising doubts about prospects for a wider deal to end their five-month war.

“The two sides are further apart”

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera reported from Tehran that “The two sides are further apart,” as Iran said it was talking directly only with Oman and proposed sharing future management of the waterway.

Al Jazeera

The BBC said Iran’s conditions include that the United States must “correct” its behavior and meet a set of demands before the strait can reopen.

CBS News added that President Trump demanded Monday that Iran compensate victims' families and Middle Eastern countries after Tehran said it wouldn't reopen the Strait of Hormuz without being compensated for war damage.

President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House, “We’re going to ask for money for the damage they’ve done over a 50-year period,” linking compensation to the reopening talks.

Time reported that Trump rejected Iran’s stipulations and said he had instructed his representatives to demand compensation “for all of the people” that Iran has “killed and gravely wounded with their roadside bombs and many conflicts.”

BBC

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council set six conditions, including “The lifting of the US naval blockade on Iranian ports and the withdrawal of US naval and air forces from around Iran,” and “The unconditional release of frozen Iranian assets.”

NBC News said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters that “The intermediaries are still making efforts to find ways to resume negotiations,” while also insisting that changes to maritime routes do not mean the strait has reopened.

Oil prices rose as uncertainty grew about reopening the Strait of Hormuz, with CNN saying Brent crude climbed about 2% to $89 per barrel and WTI rose about 2.3% to around $84 per barrel.

“reaching $89 per barrel”

CNN Arabic

The BBC reported that Iran’s conditions were tied to reopening the corridor and that “These conditions were already on the table within the framework of the memorandum of understanding,” but with timing and mechanism “substantially different.”

Gulf News said Iran’s effective blockade of the crucial energy conduit has rattled allies, roiled markets and driven up prices, while Trump said Sunday he was “low-keying it” in his approach to Tehran.

CBS News also described how the focus on the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait intensified as Iranian-backed Houthi rebels attacked government-held areas in Yemen, including the port city of Mokha and the central province of Marib.