U.S. President Donald Trump announced in a post on Truth Social that, moving forward, the cost of any damage to ships, cargo, or related maritime assets would be paid out of frozen Iranian funds currently under the control of the United States.
In his post, Trump noted that the damages could be “very substantial” but described the measure as “fair and equitable,” requesting that the statement serve as official U.S. policy until further notice.
Responding to the statement, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the seizure of state assets to pay for future, unrelated claims an “incendiary precedent.”
Araghchi further warned that countries or entities accepting or benefiting from such funds should bear in mind that, if the confiscation of government assets becomes normalised, no country’s assets will be secure, adding that the resulting consequences “will not be pretty or peaceful.”
