Trump says U.S. will seek decades-long reparations from Iran amid Hormuz negotiations

President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that his administration will pursue payment from Iran for what he described as "50 years" of damages, linking the demand to Tehran's condition that the Strait of Hormuz be reopened only after Washington agrees to war reparations. Iran has said it will not allow the strait, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas passes, to reopen unless the United States ends sanctions and provides compensation, a stance it says aligns with an interim peace agreement signed in June.

Trump said the proposed payments would cover deaths among U.S. forces and Iranian civilians, citing a figure of 52,000 Iranian deaths in the past four months, and also called for compensation for the families of the 17 U.S. sailors killed in the 2000 USS Cole attack. In a post on his social-media platform, he added that Iran should be held responsible for damages in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Gaza.

Analysts noted that the demand could hinder ongoing negotiations between Iran and Oman aimed at establishing new shipping lanes through the strait. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said talks with Oman are progressing and that an agreement on a shipping-route map has been reached, though technical issues remain. He also accused the United States of hostile actions that make the passage unsafe.

U.S. Central Command reported that it has redirected 55 commercial vessels since reinstating a naval blockade in July and disabled at least two ships. Maritime data show a sharp decline in traffic through the strait over the weekend, with fewer vessels using the Iran-designated route.

"Unfortunately, we are just looking at some back-and-forth banter here, where neither the Iranians nor the Trump administration is being serious," said Charles Kupchan, a former special assistant to former President Barack Obama.

The United States maintains that it controls the strait and has cleared it of mines, describing the blockade as a "steel wall" that prevents Iranian oil exports.