Trump Reviewing 10-Day Cease-Fire Proposal from Mediators, Preparing for Potential Breakdown

Middle Eastern mediators have proposed a 10-day cease-fire to the United States and Iran, and the U.S. government is currently reviewing the plan, the U.S. online news outlet Axios reported on July 20 (local time).

According to sources cited by Axios, the Trump administration is evaluating the new cease-fire proposal put forward by countries including Qatar, Egypt, and Pakistan.

The proposal includes provisions to halt hostilities and reopen both shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, providing a grace period for the U.S. and Iran to salvage a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that is on the verge of collapse.

Reopening the shipping lanes would secure the southern route through Omani waters from Iranian attacks, while the northern route passing through Iranian waters would be freed from U.S. blockades.

During the 10-day cease-fire, the U.S. and Iran would seek long-term measures to regulate passage through the strait.

Ideas being discussed include allowing Iran to collect "reasonable service fees" under the pretext of maritime security, and managing these fees through a joint fund involving the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Neither the U.S. nor Iran has accepted the 10-day cease-fire proposal yet.

Axios assessed that both sides appear to be attempting to increase their leverage in negotiations through additional strikes before agreeing to a cease-fire.

One source stated that the White House might continue bombing Iran for a few more days to retaliate for the incident in which U.S. troops were killed by an Iranian attack, before fully reviewing the cease-fire proposal.

President Trump is also reported to have not yet made a final decision.

However, officials expect that a direction will be chosen within the next few days, as the possibility of a prolonged, tedious war of attrition that paralyzes the Middle East is not considered very high.

Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also confirmed in a briefing that Iran had recently received proposals from mediators such as Qatar to de-escalate tensions with the U.S.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.