US president expands demands in peace talks, seeking compensation for victims across the Middle East. Meanwhile, Iran's supreme leader makes key changes in the military leadership.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday, August 10, 2026, that he will demand compensation from Iran as part of any future peace negotiations. His statement is a direct response to Tehran's demand that Washington pay war reparations for damage caused during the five-month conflict.
"I, too, demand compensation from Iran," Trump said, specifying that his demand covers not only damage from the current war but also Iranian attacks on American targets over the past twenty years. He also added compensation for the relatives of Iranian protesters killed by state forces over the past five decades.
In a new statement, Trump further expanded the scope of his demands, saying that "the Islamic Republic should also answer for deaths and damage in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Gaza." Such a stance could further complicate the already sensitive talks on ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which are already at a standstill.
The president also recalled the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, for which he previously said Iran was "probably involved." He stressed that his compensation demands will be "a firm part of all future negotiations" with Tehran. On his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote that he is seeking compensation "for all the people they have killed and seriously wounded with their roadside bombs and in numerous conflicts." He insisted that Tehran must compensate the families of the victims of the USS Cole attack, in which suicide bombers killed 17 sailors in Yemen's port of Aden. Although an FBI investigation showed that al-Qaeda members planned and carried out the attack, Trump has previously suggested Iranian involvement. "I have instructed my representatives to firmly include this in all future negotiations," the US leader emphasized, without specifying any concrete compensation amounts.
Trump's rhetoric toward Iran has fluctuated in recent days. Last week, he threatened to strike Iran "very hard" and mentioned attacks on civilian infrastructure, but quickly backed off and signaled that a peace deal was near. Over the weekend, he softened his stance, signaling a preference for economic measures over additional military action. At the same time, on Monday, he left open the possibility of escalation when asked by reporters. When asked whether he intended to carry out a "major escalation," he replied: "We have that capability if we want. Yes, you will find out." When asked whether he would follow through on his threat to attack the leadership of the Islamic Republic, he briefly said: "You will find out."
According to the Axios website, the US leader, in an interview published a day earlier, did not express dissatisfaction with Iran's delaying of an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. On the other hand, Iran insists that the United States first lift the naval blockade of Iranian ports and remove sanctions on the oil sector. According to reports in Iranian media, the National Security Council has conditioned the reopening of the strait on a series of concessions, including the cessation of all American threats against the Islamic Republic, the withdrawal of US forces from the region, and full financial compensation for war damage.
Meanwhile, Iran's supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, today carried out significant changes at the top of the military, further consolidating his influence over the armed forces. Major General Ali Abdollahi has been appointed chief of staff of the armed forces, while Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi has been appointed supreme commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also with the rank of major general.
Abdollahi previously headed Khatam al-Anbiya, the main military headquarters that coordinates the operations of all armed forces. These personnel decisions come at a time of heightened tensions and uncertainty over the future course of negotiations with the United States.
