Regional Mediators Scramble To Salvage US-Iran Deal Amid Military Escalation

Last Updated:July 10, 2026, 09:52 IST

Backchannel diplomacy has intensified as regional powers seek to prevent a return to all-out war and revive stalled US-Iran nuclear talks.

Qatar, Pakistan and several other regional powers are pushing the United States and Iran to de-escalate tensions and return to negotiations over a nuclear agreement after US President Donald Trump declared the existing understanding and ceasefire “over".

According to Axios, officials from Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia held multiple calls with American and Iranian officials on Wednesday in an effort to prevent the latest military escalation from spiralling into a wider conflict.

The renewed mediation comes after two days of US-Iran exchanges that included Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and two rounds of American strikes on Iranian military targets.

Although Trump announced on Wednesday that the US-Iran memorandum of understanding and the ceasefire were “over", Axios reported that his administration remained focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and avoiding a return to an all-out war with Iran.

Mediators Seek To Revive Nuclear Talks

The regional mediators believe the US and Iran had made progress towards a nuclear agreement during earlier rounds of negotiations and are seeking to prevent the entire diplomatic process from collapsing, according to the report.

“There are extensive diplomatic efforts to first agree with both sides on de-escalation and then set a date for another round of negotiations between the technical teams," a regional source involved in the mediation told Axios.

A source from one of the mediating countries also claimed that the recent attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz may have been initiated by elements within the Iranian establishment that oppose the understanding with Washington and want to undermine it.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, meanwhile, told Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, that the US strikes and Trump’s rhetoric amounted to violations of the memorandum of understanding, according to a statement posted on Araghchi’s Telegram channel.

Thursday Sees Relative Calm

Thursday was considerably calmer after two days of exchanges between the United States and Iran.

While some Iranian media reports spoke of explosions in southern Iran, US officials told Axios that the American military had not carried out any fresh strikes on Thursday.

One US official attributed the relative calm to the mediation and de-escalation efforts underway.

Trump also met his senior national security team on Thursday afternoon to discuss the tensions with Iran and the administration’s next steps.

Following the meeting, a US official told Axios that the Trump administration remained “committed to finding a resolution" and that technical-level discussions aimed at reaching a nuclear agreement were continuing.

“President Trump made his feelings very clear yesterday in no uncertain terms. Iran’s attacks on these innocent vessels are acts of terrorism," the official said.

The official described the MoU as “performance-based" and said Iran’s actions amounted to “failed performance at an unacceptable level".

The diplomatic push suggests that, despite Trump’s declaration that the agreement was over, both Washington and regional mediators are still exploring whether negotiations can be revived and further military escalation avoided.

About the Author

Karishma Jain

Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follo...Read More

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