Regional mediators scramble to prevent U.S.-Iran deal from collapsing

According to Axios, regional mediators are scrambling to keep a U.S.-Iran nuclear deal from falling apart. Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia spent Wednesday on the phones with both sides after President Trump declared the two countries' memorandum of understanding and their ceasefire over, and ordered two rounds of airstrikes on Iran. Axios reports the mediators believe earlier negotiating rounds made real progress, and that recent Iranian attacks in the Strait of Hormuz were launched by factions inside the regime trying to sink the agreement. Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, called the U.S. strikes and rhetoric a violation of the deal. Even so, Trump is said to be focused on reopening the strait and wary of a full-blown war. By Thursday the exchanges of fire had gone quiet, which one U.S. official credited to the de-escalation push. After meeting his national security team, the administration said it remains committed to a resolution and that technical-level talks continue, while insisting Iran's conduct amounts to failed performance under a deal it calls performance-based.

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