Iran formally states war-ending conditions to WSJ — demands US base closures, sanctions lifted, reparations, no missile limits

Iran formally communicated its conditions for ending the war to the Wall Street Journal, establishing its opening negotiating position as the US-Iran diplomatic track intensifies. Iran's stated demands are: (1) closure of US military bases in the Gulf region, (2) lifting of all sanctions, (3) reparations for war damage, (4) an end to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah, and (5) no restrictions on Iran's missile program. The demands represent a maximalist opening position and are fundamentally incompatible with Trump's leaked 15-point framework (Day 25), which demanded full dismantlement of Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordo nuclear facilities, end to all proxy networks, and Iranian withdrawal from regional operations. Iran's conditions — particularly US base closures and no missile limits — would require the US and Israel to accept a post-war Iran that retains its conventional deterrence capability and sees a retrenchment of US forward presence in the Gulf. The demands come simultaneously with Iran deploying proxies to strike Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province and continuing overnight missile barrages on Israel, suggesting Iran is negotiating from a position of military pressure rather than weakness. The gap between US demands (full nuclear dismantlement, proxy end) and Iran's demands (US base closures, missile parity, reparations) frames the challenge facing the Pakistan back-channel.