TEHRAN, Iran: Mediators proposed a 10-day ceasefire between Iran and the United States on July 20 to revive last month’s interim agreement, a senior Iranian source told Reuters. Neither country had publicly accepted the plan.
The proposal would suspend US and Iranian strikes while diplomats seek a route back to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. The Reuters report did not identify every mediator or disclose when the proposed pause would begin.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed that Tehran had received proposals from “certain mediators” during a July 20 briefing in the Iranian capital. He provided no details about their terms.
Baghaei said Iran’s diplomatic officials remained active while its armed forces continued responding to US attacks. His remarks did not amount to formal Iranian acceptance of the 10-day plan, according to Iranian state broadcaster Press TV.
Read: Hormuz Shipping Traffic Halves as US-Iran Strikes Grow
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington remained open to negotiations if the diplomatic process was genuine. The United States had not publicly endorsed the new ceasefire proposal.
Pakistan and Qatar have continued speaking with both countries during the latest Middle East escalation. Pakistan helped mediate the interim agreement signed by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on June 17.
The agreement established a 60-day period for further talks. It also covered the US blockade of Iranian ports, navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions and Iran’s nuclear programme, according to an Al Jazeera report citing Reuters and AFP.
The diplomatic push came as US strikes on Iran and Iranian attacks across the Gulf continued, disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
