Iran raises demands for ceasefire, as war nears one month
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The first details are emerging about the negotiation phase between the United States and Iran, as mutual strikes continue and the conflict approaches its first month.
Iran’s conditions
According to key reports, the Wall Street Journal stated that Iranian representatives informed President Donald Trump’s administration that they have set high conditions for returning to negotiations on a ceasefire agreement.
Sources familiar with the matter told the newspaper that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard has strengthened its influence within the weakened Iranian system and put forward demands including the closure of all U.S. bases in the Gulf and compensation for attacks on Iran.
Other demands include:
- Establishing a new system for the Strait of Hormuz that allows Iran to impose fees on passing ships, similar to what Egypt does with the Suez Canal.
- Guarantees that the war will not resume and a halt to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon.
- Lifting all sanctions imposed on Iran.
- Allowing Iran to maintain its missile program without any negotiations to limit it.
U.S. response
An American official described these demands as "unrealistic and ridiculous."
Arab and American officials said that this hardline stance will make reaching an agreement with Tehran more difficult than it was before the war began under Trump.
They added that the first messages from the new diplomatic round were delivered through intermediaries in the Middle East late last week, and that the United States and Iran are not holding direct talks.
Lebanon front
Earlier, the Israeli army announced its readiness for a prolonged war with Hezbollah. People familiar with Israeli plans told the Financial Times that "the Israeli attack on Lebanon will continue at least as long as operations against Iran and may continue even after any ceasefire with Tehran."
The Israeli war in Lebanon has resumed after a truce in November 2024, with the Israeli army shelling areas in southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut, issuing evacuation warnings.