Can mediators broker a truce between the US and Iran?

Mediators are racing to secure a truce between the United States and Iran, hoping to interrupt a cycle of retaliation that is becoming deadlier and increasingly likely to spill into a wider regional conflict, according to experts.

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.

Simon Mabon, professor of international relations at Lancaster University, said the MoU initially succeeded in reducing the fighting because it was deliberately vague, giving the US and Iran enough room to interpret it in ways they could accept. But that flexibility also proved to be its weakness.

Mabon also warned that Israel could emerge as a "possible spoiler" to any diplomatic breakthrough, citing its upcoming election in October and the limited domestic support for a ceasefire. And with the conflict showing no signs of abating, many fear the space for diplomacy is shrinking.