President Trump on Monday responded to an Iranian official calling for the US to provide compensation for damage caused by the war as a condition for the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, saying that instead, Iran should pay the US.
“I see that Representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran are asking for compensation for the damage done to them during the last five months Military Conflict (started because, THEY WILL NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON), even though it was never mentioned in any of our negotiations or meetings!” the president wrote on Truth Social.
Trump added that he was now “likewise demanding compensation from Iran, for all of the people that they have killed and gravely wounded with their roadside bombs and many conflicts” and falsely linked Iran to the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole off the coast of Yemen, an attack that, according to the FBI, was carried out by al-Qaeda.
Trump said that Iran should also pay compensation to the families of “thousands of innocent protestors” and repeated the claim that Iranian security forces killed 52,000 people during the unrest in January, a number that has no basis.
The Iranian government has acknowledged that more than 3,000 people, including over 200 Iranian security personnel, were killed. The HRANA, a US-based and US-funded NGO, put the number at more than 7,000 people, including Iranian security personnel, and has said it is investigating more reported deaths, but nowhere near the number Trump claims.
In a follow-up post, Trump said that Iran should also be “responsible for the damages and death caused to the people of Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Gaza.”
Notably missing from Trump’s post was any threat to launch strikes against Iran, as the president has signaled that, for the time being, he’s content with the status quo, which involves the US enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports and maintaining economic pressure on Iran.
