Trumps ex Defense secretary dismisses Iran latest demands as ridiculous

Former Trump Defense Secretary Mark Esper has dismissed Iran’s latest demands for reopening the Strait of Hormuz as “ridiculous”

Former Trump Defense Secretary Mark Esper has dismissed Iran’s latest demands for reopening the Strait of Hormuz as “ridiculous”, warning they show Tehran believes it has the upper hand in negotiations. Iran is reportedly demanding the withdrawal of all U.S. forces from the region, compensation for the costs of the war, an end to the U.S. blockade and sanctions, and a return of shipping through the strategic waterway to prewar levels. Esper said the demands showed an increasingly “emboldened” Iranian leadership confident in the leverage it gains from controlling the strait and using regional proxies. But he also highlighted a potentially more serious problem for Washington, warning that U.S. stocks of some critical munitions are severely depleted, with an American official separately telling ABC News that supplies of ballistic-missile interceptors are “extremely low”. Esper said the shortage has roots going back decades but was worsened by weapons supplied to Ukraine during the Biden administration, warning that rebuilding some systems, including Patriot missiles, could take years.

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Trump has hit back at Iran’s demands for compensation over wartime damage,

Trump has hit back at Iran’s demands for compensation over wartime damage, saying Tehran should instead pay the United States “for all the people they have killed and gravely wounded”. In a Truth Social post, Trump said he wants Iran to compensate the families of U.S. service members and others killed in conflicts involving Tehran and also pay families of Iranian protesters killed by its own regime. He said he had instructed U.S. representatives to make compensation part of “any, and all” future negotiations, sharply countering Iran’s demand for payments as a condition for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The latest escalation in rhetoric comes as Trump says the U.S. is “low-keying it” and relying on mounting economic pressure on Tehran while negotiations over a wider peace deal remain stalled.

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Wasn't it a week ago that Trump threatened Iran with destruction if they didn't immediately buckle down to seriously negotiating a deal?

So what happened there?