Pakistan, July 21 -- A joint de-escalation proposal by Pakistan and Qatar has urged the United States and Iran to return to their pre-July 9 positions "as a first step" to resume stalled talks to permanently end their months-long war, Pakistani government sources told Anadolu on Monday.

The proposal, jointly drafted by Islamabad and Doha after "consulting regional partners", called on both sides to return to the positions they held before the beginning of the fresh hostilities, the sources added.

"Returning to the pre-July 9 position will be the first step to halt the raging hostilities and pave the way for the resumption of talks either in Islamabad or Doha," a Pakistani source close to the ongoing mediation efforts said.

According to...