Trump Counters: "Iran Must Compensate for Past Terrorism and Protestor Killings"

"Compensation Sought for Victims of USS Cole Bombing"

On August 10 (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump responded to Iran's demands for compensation for war damages by countering that Iran itself should pay compensation for its past acts of terrorism and its suppression of protesters within its own borders. By effectively rejecting Iran's requests for compensation, he signaled that the U.S. would raise its own demands for compensation from Iran as an agenda item in any future negotiations.

President Trump posted on Truth Social, "Representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran are demanding compensation for damages sustained over the last five months of military conflict," and added, "Such demands have never been mentioned in any of our negotiations or meetings." He continued, "But it is an interesting idea," stating, "Now, I too will demand compensation from Iran."

This was in response to Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), who, on August 8, demanded compensation for war damages from the U.S. as one of the conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Iran is demanding the lifting of U.S. sanctions and maritime blockades, the withdrawal of U.S. troops stationed near Iran, and compensation for damages resulting from what it calls "two rounds of invasion wars."

President Trump insisted that Iran should compensate people who have been killed or injured by roadside bombs and in various conflicts. He further claimed that these attacks were orchestrated by Qasem Soleimani, the former commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in 2020.

He further argued that the families of victims of the bombing of the USS Cole, a U.S. Navy destroyer attacked at the Port of Aden in Yemen in 2000, should also be included as eligible for compensation. Seventeen U.S. servicemembers were killed in that attack. However, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has classified the USS Cole bombing as an al-Qaeda attack, and Iran's responsibility for this incident has not been established.

President Trump also asserted that the Iranian government should compensate the families of protesters killed over the past several decades, mentioning those who died during recent anti-government protests in Iran. He stated, "I have instructed our negotiating representatives to adamantly raise this issue in all future negotiations."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.