Founded by William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955, the National Review is an old established conservative editorial magazine. Yesterday it came out with an article quite skeptical of the reported deal to end the Iran conflict and reopen the Straight of Hormuz to oil tanker traffic. The article Trump’s Iran Peace Pact — or ‘Wishful Thinking’? contains a list of 14 conditions that the Iranians have disclosed as requirements to end the hostilities and reopen the Straight.
All 14 conditions are spelled out in the National Review article but these three seem particularly troublesome for Netanyahu and Trump:
(1) A permanent and immediate halt to fighting on all fronts, including Lebanon...
(7) A requirement for the United States and its allies to present plans for Iran's reconstruction worth at least $300 billion...
(14) Final negotiations would not begin before the release of half of Iran's blocked funds, the suspension of Iran's oil sanctions and the lifting of the naval blockade. The final agreement would focus exclusively on the fate of enriched (uranium) material, enrichment activities, sanctions relief and plans to rebuild Iran's economy. Discussions regarding Iran's missile program and support for resistance groups would be definitely excluded from agenda."
Another condition (5) would essentially reopen the Straight under Iran's control.
The article warns that the list of conditions published by state-controlled Iran media may not be accurate. However, if they are, according to the National Review,
"it would amount to something in the ballpark of an American surrender in the region."
