President Trump is trying to flip Iran's push for war reparations back on Tehran. In a Truth Social post Monday, the president said he's told his negotiators to demand compensation from Iran for Americans killed or injured in attacks linked to Tehran, calling Iran's own reparations demand "an interesting idea" to copy. He cited deaths from roadside bombs, "many conflicts," and even the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole—an attack attributed to al-Qaeda, not Iran, the Independent reports. The government blames Iran-backed militants for the deaths of more than 600 US troops in Iraq and the bombing that killed 241 US military personnel in Beirut in 1983, reports the AP.
- In a follow-up post, Trump said, "Also, with respect to the Iran negotiations, Iran should be responsible for the damages and death caused to the people of Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Gaza!
Trump also said Tehran should pay compensation to the "hundreds of thousands of innocent protestors that Iran has killed over the last 50 years, not to mention the 52,000 that have been killed in the last five months." The Independent notes that it's not clear where Trump got the 52,000 number. US and Israeli estimates of war deaths so far are a little over 6,000. The Times of Israel notes that it's also not clear how significant Trump's announcement is, "given that negotiations with Iran are said to have hit a dead end." On Sunday, Trump said the US is "low-keying it" and only "semi-negotiating."
Over the weekend, a senior Iranian official laid out six conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, including lifting sanctions, ending US military operations in the region, and paying compensation for "imposed wars." An interim ceasefire framework expires in just over a week, with no clear path to an extension.
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