Iran has escalated tensions ahead of possible cease-fire talks by issuing sweeping demands, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has consolidated power within the country’s leadership and is pressing for measures that include the closure of all American bases in the Gulf and financial reparations for attacks on Iran.

Additional demands reportedly include allowing Iran to collect fees from tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz and securing guarantees that hostilities would not resume. The group is also seeking an end to Israel’s strikes on Hezbollah, the lifting of all sanctions on Iran, and the right to maintain its missile program without negotiations to limit it.

A United States official described the demands as 'ridiculous and unrealistic.' Initial messages in the renewed diplomatic effort were said to have been delivered through Middle Eastern intermediaries, with no direct contact currently taking place between the United States and Iran.