President Donald Trump has said he will use frozen Iranian assets to pay for any damages to ships and cargo sustained during the war as Iran continues to attack ships.
Iran has attacked commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, a key passage for international trade, as US military strikes on Iran entered their 13th consecutive night. Iranian state media said four people have been killed, and five people have been injured because of these strikes.
Trump threatened “major military punishment” against the Houthis if their attacks on ships continue.
“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,” Trump said in a post on social media.
Iran Conflict Intensifies
His warning comes as the conflict, which included Israel joining the U.S. in air strikes against Iran on Feb, 28, has intensified in the last two weeks and an interim deal agreed last month to end the fighting collapsed.
At a regional summit in the Philippines, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio denounced Iran’s actions in the strait.
“If we create a precedent in the Middle East where a nation state can decide that they are going to control an international waterway, charge a toll and if you don’t pay them, blow up your ships, we have created a very dangerous precedent which will repeat itself in other parts of the world, including in this region,” he said.
Moves to Stop The War
Meanwhile, some politicians have signaled their intentions to end the fighting. The House on Thursday narrowly passed a resolution to halt U.S. military action in Iran.
And in terms of the public at large, most Americans disapprove of the way Trump is handling the situation with Iran, according to recent polling. A Washington Post/Ipsos poll conducted in July found that few Americans think the war in Iran is worth fighting, and most aren’t confident that the U.S. military action in Iran and negotiations to end the war will prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Iran’s Reaction
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned Trump’s suggestion, writing on X that “once governments normalize confiscation, no one’s assets are safe. Ensuing chaos will not be pretty or peaceful.”
“Seizing another nation’s assets to pay for unrelated future claims is an incendiary precedent,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, Trump also signaled that U.S. forces could soon target an under-construction Iranian nuclear site buried deep under a mountain.
The site, known as Pickaxe Mountain, lies on the south side of Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment site, which was bombed by the U.S. during the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in 2025.
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