Iran-US war latest: Tehran calls opening Strait of Hormuz ‘impossible’ as US navy chief steps down

The Donald Trump administration has not set a firm deadline for Iran to reach a deal, according to Karoline Leavitt.

She said: “He [Trump] is maintaining and is generously offering a bit of flexibility to a regime who has been completely tarnished,” while describing internal divisions in Iran.

“This is a battle between the pragmatists and the hardliners in Iran right now, and the president wants a unified response.”

Leavitt added that no fixed timeline has been imposed, saying: “Ultimately, the timeline will be dictated by the commander-in-chief and the president of the United States.”

She added that “Operation Economic Fury” was continuing with what she called an “effective and successful” naval blockade and claimed that the US is “completely strangling” Iran’s economy.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned that the US-Israeli war against Iran is “starting to weaken Europe” in remarks to his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Speaking on Wednesday, Erdogan said: “The war in our region is likewise starting to weaken Europe, and if we do not address this situation with an approach that prioritises peace, the damage caused by the conflict will be far greater.”

He added that the country was working to end the Russia-Ukraine war through negotiations – just as it is doing in the Iran conflict – with the goal of achieving a lasting peace.

In Tehran, despite Donald Trump’s extension of the ceasefire deadline, people remain tense and uncertain.

According to Sky News, the streets were quieter than usual, with fewer people outside, as many fear the war could restart at any moment. Some had even left the city before the extension was announced.

Despite heavy US-Israeli bombing earlier, authorities have cleared visible damage and are working quickly to repair affected areas.

A local shop owner told the outlet: “Are we back in limbo again? What’s stopping them? It feels like they want war again.”

Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on X that the US was showing the world “its endless hypocritical rhetoric and contradiction between claims and actions”.

He wrote on X: “The Islamic Republic of Iran has welcomed dialogue and agreement and continues to do so. Breach of commitments, blockade and threats are main obstacles to genuine negotiations.”

His comments came after the US refused to lift its blockade of Iranian ports.

The White House has also accused Iran of acting “like a bunch of pirates” after its Revolutionary ⁠Guard Corps Navy fired on three ships and captured two of them as they tried to go through the Strait of Hormuz.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said that the US blockade of Iran’s ports was incredibly effective at choking Iran’s economy.

The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed, with Iran saying it is “impossible” to reopen it due to what it calls ceasefire violations by the US and Israel.

Iranian forces have seized two ships and are enforcing their own blockade, while the US is also maintaining a separate blockade.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament and lead negotiator, wrote on X: “A complete ceasefire only makes sense if it is not violated by the maritime blockade and the hostage-taking of the world’s economy, and if the Zionist warmongering across all fronts is halted; reopening the Strait of Hormuz is impossible with such a flagrant breach of the ceasefire.

“They did not achieve their goals through military aggression, nor will they through bullying. The only way forward is to recognise the rights of the Iranian nation.”

Trump has threatened genocide against Iran when he said on social media that “tonight an entire civilisation will die”. Making such statements is criminal, and involves his armed forces in potential violations of international law.

US Central Command has shared a video of what it calls the “most lethal military the world has ever known” deployed in the Middle East.

The assessment points to potentially long-lasting economic consequences, as the strait — now subject to dueling US and Iranian blockades — is a critical trade artery that carried 20 percent of the world’s oil before the war.

The US military has said it directed 31 ships to turn around during its blockade of Iranian ports.

US Central Command added that the majority of vessels have complied with the blockade.

Panama has condemned what it called the “illegal seizure” of a ship traveling under its flag in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Italian-owned MSC Francesca was “forcibly taken” by Iranian authorities Wednesday, Panama’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

“Such actions increase tensions in the Gulf and are contrary to international law”, the Central American country said. “Furthermore, they represent a serious threat to maritime security and constitute an unnecessary escalation at a time when the international community is advocating for the Strait of Hormuz to remain open to international navigation without threats or blackmail of any kind”.

It’s not clear whether the ship remains in Iranian custody.