Can mediators broker a truce between the US and Iran?

Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei on Monday confirmed that mediators were actively trying to prevent further escalation, although he declined to divulge any details. His comments came as Axios reported that Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan, and other regional mediators had presented both the US and Iran with a proposal that would halt the fighting for 10 days and create space to revive an interim memorandum of understanding (MoU) agreed last month. The plan would also seek to reopen commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, where competing military measures have become one of the biggest obstacles to negotiations.

But the diplomatic push comes as the US and Iran appear to be moving in the opposite direction. In recent days, the conflict has expanded beyond military targets, with strikes increasingly hitting civilian infrastructure while both sides continue to harden their public positions. The US has widened its bombing campaign deeper into Iran, with President Donald Trump also promising Iran will “pay” after the killing of several US troops. Iran, on the other hand, has stepped up attacks on shipping and targets across the region.

The latest escalation follows a month of deteriorating relations after Washington and Tehran signed an MoU extending an April ceasefire and setting out a framework for negotiations aimed at ending the war, which began on February 28 with Israeli and US strikes on Iran. Since then, both governments have repeatedly accused each other of violating the agreement.

The question now is whether mediators can persuade either side to step back before military events overtake diplomacy.

What is being proposed? Speaking to reporters on Monday, Baghaei, the spokesperson of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said Tehran had received “proposals conveyed through the mediators”. “At this stage, I prefer not to discuss their details,” added Baghaei, making it clear that any diplomatic effort would continue alongside Iran’s military response.

The latest proposal reportedly builds on talks that were held in Muscat on July 11 between Oman, Iran, and Qatar but ultimately broke down. At the heart of it is the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas passes in peacetime.