Trump says attacked vessels should be repaid with Iranian money, prompting warning from Tehran

President Trump says commercial shippers that sustain damage from attacks in the Middle East should be reimbursed using frozen Iranian assets.

The idea prompted a furious response from Tehran, which called it an unprecedented proposal, but Mr. Trump said it was only fair.

“Please let this statement serve to represent, until further notice, that from this point forth, any and all damages done to Ships, Cargo, or anything related thereto, will be paid for by Iranian Money that the United States has in its possession, and controls,” Mr. Trump said late Thursday on social media. “These damages may be very substantial but, nevertheless, this is the fair and equitable thing to do.”

Commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway between Iran and Oman, have faced repeated Iranian attacks since the start of Mr. Trump’s military campaign on Feb. 28 to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.

Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen opened a separate front in the Red Sea, vowing to blockade Saudi ports. The faction claimed two recent attacks on Saudi tankers.

Mr. Trump’s proposal underscored the acrimony between the sides after a mid-June ceasefire deal fell apart. 

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Weeks ago, officials were talking about returning frozen assets to Iran in return for good behavior. Now, Iran is reacting furiously to Mr. Trump’s push to use Iranian funds to reimburse commercial shippers.

“Seizing another nation’s assets to pay for unrelated future claims is an incendiary precedent,” Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on X. “Those who celebrate or profit from such funds should remember: once governments normalize confiscation, no one’s assets are safe. Ensuing chaos will not be pretty or peaceful.”

The U.S. military struck Iranian targets for a 13th consecutive night on Thursday.

U.S. Central Command said it struck military command centers, drone storage facilities, communication networks, coastal surveillance sites, and maritime capabilities “to further diminish the threat Iran poses to civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.”

Mr. Trump says Iran wants to make a deal, but he is degrading their capabilities with repeated strikes to ensure they are serious about abiding by any agreement.

“They would like to do something. But I say they’re not ready yet, they need more of the same,” Mr. Trump said during an event at the Environmental Protection Agency. “They’re not ready yet, they have some evil intentions. We cannot let them have a nuclear weapon.”