President Donald Trump announced Monday evening that if Iran is demanding compensation for damage from the recent military conflict, the United States will demand compensation for the damage Iran has caused over the years. Trump wrote that the Iranian demand “was never mentioned in any of our negotiations or meetings,” adding that he now demands compensation for Americans killed and wounded in terrorist attacks and conflicts involving Iran.
Trump wrote: “I see that representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran are seeking compensation for the damage inflicted upon them during the military conflict of the last five months (which began because they will not have nuclear weapons), even though this was never mentioned in any of our negotiations or meetings! But it’s an interesting idea, because I am now similarly demanding compensation from Iran, for all the people they have killed and seriously injured through their roadside bombs and in the many conflicts for which they are infamous, as initially conducted by General Soleimani, including the families of those killed aboard the USS Cole, and thousands more killed in combat. In addition, compensation should be paid to the families of the hundreds of thousands of innocent protesters that Iran has killed over the last 50 years, not to mention the 52,000 killed in the last five months.”
Trump ended by making clear he intends to make the demand part of negotiations with Tehran: “I have instructed my representatives to unequivocally include this in any and all future negotiations. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President Donald J. Trump.” In his statement, Trump specifically mentioned General Qasem Soleimani and the families of those killed in the attack on the USS Cole, as part of the American claim that Iran has been responsible over the years for the deaths and injuries of many.