Tehran itself launched the 10-day ceasefire concept now being advanced by intermediaries, two sources close to the talks told The Jerusalem Post.

The Iranian move shows how pressing the need for a pause has become for Tehran as US strikes widen and President Donald Trump weighs resuming a full military effort against Iran.

The aim of the proposed 10-day pause is to settle matters around the Strait of Hormuz, the flashpoint that began the crisis after the memorandum of understanding signed last month collapsed.

Mediators from Qatar, Egypt, Oman, and Pakistan have delivered the proposal to the United States and have introduced extra points during talks with both capitals.

One added idea calls for a middle corridor through the Strait of Hormuz, lying between Omani and Iranian waters, to let commercial ships pass safely.

At this point the United States wants a longer ceasefire. Washington also demands at least partial agreements on freedom of navigation in the Strait before any pause starts, with other details to be worked out during the 10 days.

Some officials in the Trump administration have labeled the Iranian proposal absurd and illogical.

Trump Seeks to Make Iran Pay a Price

A US official told the Post that Trump is determined to make Iran pay for breaking the memorandum of understanding and for the deaths of American service members.

The president will also ensure that Iran pays for the recent deaths of US soldiers. These strikes will continue until the president decides otherwise, though talks between the two countries are still under way, the official said.

Trump is set to attend a Tuesday ceremony marking the return of the bodies of American service members killed in Iranian missile and drone attacks in Jordan and Iraq.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a security consultation Monday that ran more than five and a half hours and ended at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday.

After the meeting, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that the State of Israel has no interest in joining the conflict between Iran and the US; keeping the status quo is the best option.