Iran should pay reparations, not ask for them, Trump says

Iran should pay compensation to the United States for years of terror activity and conflicts dating back to at least 2000, U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday. Much of the money should go to the families of those killed in combat, he said. He also said the Iranian government should give reparations to the families of hundreds of thousands of protesters killed under its regime. Trump said he instructed his negotiating team to include such demands in all future negotiations with Iran, though he did not name a specific monetary amount. Iran also should be responsible for damages and deaths in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Gaza, he added.

Trump’s comments came as a response to Iranian officials, who said over the weekend they wanted compensation for damages suffered during months of war with the United States and Israel. That demand wasn’t previously discussed in negotiations, he said.

It was unclear how greatly Trump’s statement would affect negotiations, given that Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei on Monday said Iran wasn’t participating in any active negotiations with the United States. However, Baqaei said the two sides were keeping each other updated on developments via messages to intermediaries, according to state-run Iranian outlet Fars.

Any updates on the Strait of Hormuz situation? The Iranian parliament's national security and foreign policy committee on Sunday passed a framework for government actions in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, according to Fars. The Iranian government, which claims complete control over the strait, is in talks with Oman over a joint mechanism to manage shipping.

U.S. Central Command said Sunday that the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, including those along the strait, is still in place. U.S. naval forces blocked two more ships from reaching the ports on Sunday, bringing the total number of vessels turned away during the blockade to 55, according to U.S. Central Command. However, they allowed 30 ships to pass through for humanitarian purposes, according to U.S. Central Command.

Dig deeper: Read my report on Israel’s rejection of a Trump-backed peace plan for Gaza.