Donald Trump: "families of those killed on the USS Cole"

President Donald Trump has publicly insisted that Tehran pay reparations for deaths and injuries he attributes to Iranian actions, naming the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole as one case. His Truth Social posts followed Iran’s renewed demand that Washington pay compensation and end sanctions before any arrangement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices rose after his statements. The waterway has been effectively closed since US-Israeli strikes on Iran began in late February, and earlier cease-fire and blockade efforts did not hold. Trump said the reparation demand would apply to all future talks. Iran has made its own reciprocal demands; the Cole attack has long been attributed to al Qaeda, not Iran.