Iran sets high bar for new talks with US - WSJ

Iranian representatives have told the Trump administration they have a high bar for returning to negotiations on a ceasefire deal, with the IRGC pressing demands including the closure of all US bases in the Persian Gulf and reparations for attacks on Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Other demands were said to include a new arrangement for the Strait of Hormuz that would allow Iran to collect transit fees, guarantees that the war would not restart, an end to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah, the lifting of all sanctions on Iran, and preserving Iran’s missile program without talks to limit it.

A US official described the demands to the Journal as “ridiculous and unrealistic.” The report said Arab and US officials believed the opening messages in the new diplomatic round were passed through Middle Eastern intermediaries late last week and that Washington and Tehran were not in direct contact.