US says ‘no time frame’ on ending war with Iran, as Tehran says reopening Strait of Hormuz ‘not possible’

Live Reporting

Edited by James Chater and Toby Mann with reporting from BBC Persian and teams across the Middle East

1. Turkish president says Iran war beginning to ‘weaken Europe’published at 05:45 BST

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   Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the war in Iran is beginning to “weaken Europe” during a call with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

   A post on social media by Erdogan’s office said the two leaders spoke over the phone Wednesday, discussing the relations between the two countries and the ongoing wars in Iran and Ukraine.

   “President ErdoÄŸan noted that the war in our region began to weaken Europe as well, and that if this trend were not addressed with a peace-oriented approach, the damage caused by the period of conflict would be far greater,” the post says.

2. US says it has blocked 31 shipspublished at 05:38 BST

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   US Central Command said late on Wednesday it had “directed 31 vessels to turn around or return to port” as part of its “blockade against Iran”.

   It said most of the ships were oil tankers and had “complied with US directions”.

   Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called the blockade one of the “main obstacles” in the way of “genuine negotiations” with the US.

   White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says Donald Trump is “satisfied” with the blockade, which she described as “effective and successful”.

3. Tehran’s ship attacks come days after US seized Iranian vesselpublished at 05:09 BST

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   Iran has reportedly attacked three ships in the Strait of Hormuz and seized two, days after vowing retaliation for the US intercepting an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf as part of its naval blockade.

   On Sunday, US President Donald Trump said the ship, Touska, was seized by the US Navy after failing to respond to warnings to stop.

   Iran said this was a violation of the ceasefire and it would retaliate soon for the “act of armed piracy”.

   On Wednesday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said it was “monitoring” movements through the Strait of Hormuz and has vowed “firm” action against the “violators”.

   After seizing the ships, MSC Francesca and Epaminondas, the IRGC Navy said they were “operating without authorisation” and committed “repeated violations”, accusing them of trying to leave the Strait of Hormuz “in secret” and tampering with navigation systems.

   The BBC cannot independently verify this claim.

4. Israel and Lebanon due to hold another round of talkspublished at 05:02 BST

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   Israel and Lebanon are set to hold a second round of talks in Washington DC on Thursday, with discussions under way to extend the current 10-day ceasefire.

   Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun says the ambassador-level talks are “based on a complete halt to Israeli aggressions, achieving the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territories, the return of prisoners, the deployment of the army to the international borders, and the start of reconstruction of what was destroyed during this war”.

   The first round of talks led to a temporary 10-day truce that started at 17:00 EST (21:00 GMT) on 16 April.

5. White House insists the US is in controlpublished at 05:01 BST

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   David Willis
   North America correspondent

   White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has been briefing reporters about President Donald Trump’s view of the ceasefire and peace negotiations.

   Trump has said he’s extending the ceasefire because Iran’s leadership – decimated by the war – is fractured, and needs time to come up with a proposal to end the conflict.

   He has also said a US blockade of ships entering or leaving Iranian ports is to remain in place – a move intended to squeeze Iran economically which has incensed Iran, which regards it as tantamount to an act of war.

   Levitt insisted the plan was working. “We are completely strangling their economy through this blockade. They are losing $500m a day. The Kharg island is completely full. They can’t move oil in and out. They can’t even pay their own people as a result of this economic leverage that President Trump has inflicted over them,” she said.

   No end date has been given for the extended ceasefire, but with Iran emphatic that it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz the two sides appear to have reached a stalemate.

   The White House says Trump is satisfied with the situation, and continues to insist the US is in control.

6. Iran says it remains open to peace talks after US extends ceasefirepublished at 05:01 BST

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   We are resuming our live coverage.

   Preparations for peace talks continue in Pakistan but there is yet to be confirmation of delegations from either the US or Iran attending.

   Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran remains open to discussions, but added the US “breach of commitments, blockade and threats are main obstacles to genuine negotiations”. He added that the world “sees your endless hypocritical rhetoric”.

   Vice-President JD Vance, who is expected to lead the US delegation, remains in the US.

   Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has extended the ceasefire that was due to finish on Wednesday, adding that there is “no time frame” on ending the war with Iran. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the extension is open-ended, and has no new deadline.

   Tensions continue around the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran’s chief negotiator saying it is “not possible” for it to be opened due to “the blatant violations of the ceasefire” by the US and Israel.

   Stay with us as we bring you the latest here.