Trump Says US Will Use Iranian Funds to Compensate for Damage to Ships

US President Donald Trump announced that the United States will use Iranian funds under its control to pay compensation for damages to ships caused by Iranian attacks. He stated that from now on, any damages, regardless of their financial scale, will be covered directly from frozen Iranian assets held by the US, calling this a "fair and justified" measure. This declaration followed a series of threats and escalations, including Trump's warning that any attack on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz would prompt US strikes on strategic Iranian infrastructure such as power plants and bridges.

The frozen Iranian assets accessible to the US and the international banking system include billions of dollars in foreign currency reserves, central bank accounts, and blocked digital assets, all restricted under sanctions. This compensation demand is part of Trump's "maximum pressure" strategy aimed not only at military retaliation but also at financially crippling Iran and imposing a direct economic cost for attacks on global shipping lanes and trade routes.

Additionally, Trump held Iran responsible for attacks by the Houthi militia, which recently targeted two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, causing a spike in oil prices. He described the Houthis as Iranian proxies and warned of severe punishment for both Iran and the Houthis, emphasizing this stance in a social media post.