AP Top News at 8:24 a.m. EDT

Mediators see progress in diplomatic efforts to halt Iran war, 2 regional officials sayCAIRO (AP) — Mediators have achieved progress in efforts to get the United States and Iran back to negotiations and avert an all-out war in the Middle East, two regional officials said Monday, with a pause in attacks coming after a period of rapidly escalating tensions. The comments came after neither the U.S. nor Iran reported carrying out any attacks for three straight days — a respite after about two weeks of sustained bombardments that had led to increasing fears of a return to all-out war. However, Saudi Arabia said it had shot down drones fired by Iran-backed militias in Iraq that had targeted its petroleum facilities, underscoring the risk that tensions could reignite.France says monster fire that