U.S., Iran and mediators make push for 45-day ceasefire, Axios reports

The U.S., ​Iran and a group of regional ‌mediators are discussing the ​terms for a ⁠potential 45-day ceasefire that could lead to a permanent end to the ‌war, Axios reported on Sunday (April 5, 2026), citing four U.S., ‌Israeli and regional sources with ‌knowledge ⁠of the talks.

Reuters could ⁠not immediately verify the report. The White House and the U.S. State ​Department did not ‌immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

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The mediators are discussing the terms of a ‌two-phased deal, the report said, ​adding that the first phase would be a potential ⁠45-day ceasefire during which a permanent end to the war ‌would be negotiated.

The second phase would be an agreement on ending the war, the report said.

The ceasefire could be extended if additional ‌time was required for talks, the report ​said.

U.S. President Donald Trump told the Wall Street ⁠Journal on Sunday (April 5) his deadline for ⁠Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz or face ‌attacks on critical infrastructure is Tuesday (April 7, 2026) evening.

As per the sources, the mediators are working on confidence building measures Iran could do regarding the reopening of the strait of Hormuz and it highly enriched Uranium stockpile.

While these two issues are Iran’s main bargaining chips in the negotiations, sources said that the Iranians will not agree to fully give up on them for only 45 days of ceasefire, as per the report by Axios.

According to Axios, the mediators want to see whether Iran could take partial step on both issues in the first phase of the deal.

Meanwhile, they are also working on steps which the Trump administration could take so as to give Iran guarantees that the ceasefire will not be temporary and that the war will not resume.

As per Axios, the Iranian officials have made it clear to the mediators they don’t want to be caught in a Gaza or Lebanon situation where there is a ceasefire on paper, but that the US and Israel attack again whenever they want to.

Meanwhile it further reported that the mediators are also working on other U.S. confidence-building measures the Washington could take which would address some of Iran’s demands.

The developments come as the mediators are highly concerned that the Iranian retaliation for a US-Israeli strike on the country’s energy infrastructure would be destructive for Gulf countries’ oil and water facilities.