President Donald Trump has hit back at Tehran's conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, insisting Iran must first compensate the United States for decades of regime-backed attacks. Tehran wants US forces out of the region and a compensation check for the damage, terms Washington has consistently ruled out Trump responded by demanding Iran pay compensation for decades of attacks, citing deaths from roadside bombs and conflicts. 'Additionally, compensation should be paid to the families of the hundreds of thousands of innocent protesters that Iran has killed over the last 50 years, not to mention the 52,000 that have been killed in the last five months,' he wrote on Truth Social. 'I have instructed my representatives to put this firmly into any, and all, future negotiations.' The President's comments come after US spy agencies have blamed Iran for cyber attacks across more than a dozen states over the last month. In late July, Iranian regime hackers hit a water utility in western Arkansas as part of the wider campaign, US intelligence officials believe, according to the Washington Post.

Suspected Iran-linked cyberattacks have also struck water systems in at least a dozen states, including Michigan, Minnesota, Georgia, New Jersey and South Dakota, sources told CBS News, with more than 30 community systems breached in Minnesota alone. Hackers forced Georgia authorities in the Atlanta area to issue a boil water advisory after their intrusion caused a sudden drop in water pressure. In several cases, the hackers gained remote access to pumps, valves and pressure settings and forced utilities to switch to manual mode, but officials say the attacks have had no impact on drinking water.

Iran's targeted attacks on the US homeland occur as Trump's war in the Middle East crosses into its six-month threshold. Since the start of the Iran blockade, US Central Command has reported it has turned away 53 commercial vessels, while shipping data shows no tankers have loaded at Kharg Island. That pressure has yet to translate into concessions, even as Iranian inflation hit an annual 88.6 percent in late June and the government asks citizens to ration electricity. At home, Deputy War Secretary Steve Feinberg gave arms manufacturers 21 days to come back with plans for 'significantly faster' deliveries or expanded production lines, according to a memo first reported by the Washington Post.

Military experts believe Patriot interceptor stocks have fallen at least 65 percent from pre-war levels, with THAAD inventories down by more than a third. Trump has publicly rejected the shortage reporting, insisting on Truth Social last week that American stockpiles remain enormous and that production is running at full tilt. Hegseth, for his part, told Republicans last month that refusing to fund the department at $1.5 trillion represents the single greatest danger facing the country. His warning failed to move GOP lawmakers who are now openly splintering with the White House over a war entering its sixth month with 17 American troops dead.