Iran demanding closure of US bases in Gulf, end of Israeli strikes on Hezbollah as conditions for ceasefire — WSJ

Iran is demanding reparations for attacks on it, the lifting of all sanctions, and the closure of all US military bases in the Persian Gulf as conditions to end the war with the US and Israel, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing people familiar with the matter.

In addition, Iran wants guarantees that the war won’t start up again, as well as a halt to Israel’s strikes on Iran’s Lebanese proxy Hezbollah, the Journal says.

Iran’s demands also reportedly include a new arrangement in the Gulf that will let the Islamic Republic collect tolls from ships that traverse the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil usually travels.

Meanwhile, Iran refuses to negotiate limits to its ballistic missile program, according to the Journal.

The Iranian conditions mentioned in the report do not address the country’s nuclear program.

The newspaper cites a US official as saying Iran’s demands were ridiculous and unrealistic, and Arab and US officials as saying Iran’s stance makes the possibility of a deal even more remote than before the war.

The sources cited by the Journal say the messages between Iran and the US were relayed indirectly via Middle Eastern intermediaries late last week.

Channel 12 reported last night that the US had submitted a 15-point plan for ending the war that included an end to Iran’s support for regional terror proxies, restrictions on its ballistic missile program, and dismantling of its nuclear program.