Trump says 'no time frame' for war end as Lebanon and Israel set to meet

Trump says there is “no time frame” for the war ending, after indefinitely extending US-Iran ceasefire
Ambassadors for Lebanon and Israel are set to meet in Washington Thursday for second round of talks
Three container ships in the Strait of Hormuz have reportedly been attacked by Iran
US Central Command said more than 30 ships have been affected by American naval blockade
Lebanon’s prime minister accuses Israel of targeting journalist who was killed in airstrike

US President Donald Trump has said there is “no time frame” for ending the conflict in Iran, after a ceasefire between the two nations was indefinitely extended.

Pakistan had planned to host a second round of talks on Wednesday, but the White House suspended Vice President JD Vance’s planned trip to Islamabad as Iran rebuffed efforts to restart negotiations.

Iran acknowledged the ceasefire extension but there was no confirmation of when a new round of talks would begin, according to state television.

Trump told Fox News on Wednesday there was “no time pressure” surrounding the ceasefire with Iran and “no time frame” for ending the war, denying claims he wanted to “get it over” before the US midterm elections.

Multiple Iranian news agencies reported that the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard had attacked a third ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, throwing into question efforts to end the war.

The attack was reported to have been on a vessel called the Euphoria, which was described as being stranded on the Iranian coast.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre (UKMTO) had confirmed two other attacks in the 24 hours previous.

Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil was killed in an Israeli strike on Wednesday / Credit: AP

Panama’s foreign ministry wrote in a statement that a ship flying under its flag, owned by Italian company MSC Francesca, had been “forcibly taken” into Iranian waters on Wednesday.

The nation accused Iran of violating international law, and said the seizure represented a “serious attack on maritime security and constitutes an unnecessary escalation”.

Officials from the US Department of Defence have said it will take months to clear mines in the Strait of Hormuz once the war is over, AP reports.

Israel and Lebanon talks continue

Israeli and Lebanese officials will meet in Washington on Thursday to discuss extending the ten-day ceasefire that went into effect last Friday.

A Lebanese journalist was killed Wednesday during an Israeli airstrike on a house in southern Lebanon where she had taken cover, causing Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to accuse the nation of war crimes.

Amal Khalil, who had been covering the conflict in Lebanon for the daily Al-Akhbar newspaper, had sought shelter in the home in al-Tiri after an initial strike hit a vehicle in front of her. A freelance photographer was also injured.

“Targeting journalists, obstructing access to them by relief teams, and even targeting their locations again after these teams arrive constitutes described war crimes,” Salam said early Thursday morning.

At least 2,300 people have been killed in Israeli strikes and more than one million displaced since the latest Israel-Hezbollah war erupted on March 2.