Mediators float a 10-day Iran-US ceasefire proposal; Washington has yet to accept

According to Axios, a group of mediators comprising Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan and Oman has presented Iran and the United States with a proposal for a 10-day ceasefire. The plan, floated on Monday 20 July 2026, envisions a halt to hostilities, a return by both sides to the positions they held before 9 July, the resumption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and an opportunity to salvage an earlier memorandum of understanding.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed that Tehran had received ideas and proposals from mediators aimed at reducing tensions but gave no details. The administration of President Donald Trump is reviewing the plan and has urged Israel to avoid steps that could close the window for diplomacy. As of Wednesday evening 22 July, however, neither side had accepted the document, and Trump has played down the prospect of talks.