• Timeline uncertain: US President Donald Trump said there is no deadline for ending the war with Iran, the ceasefire, or Tehran’s response to his request for a peace proposal.
• Maritime standoff: Iran’s president said the US blockade on Iranian ports is a major obstacle to talks. The blockade is also what is preventing the Strait of Hormuz from reopening, Iran’s top negotiator said.
• Strait of Hormuz timeline: A source said Pentagon officials briefed lawmakers on an intelligence assessment that found it could take up to six months to fully clear the Strait of Hormuz of mines after the war with Iran ends. A Pentagon spokesman said a six-month closure would be “unacceptable.”
• Israel-Lebanon talks: The US will host a second round of talks between the Middle Eastern neighbors today amid a fragile ceasefire in Lebanon that has seen strikes by Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah. Israeli and Lebanese representatives are set to meet in Washington for a second round of diplomatic talks on Thursday. A fragile 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon, to pause fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, remains in place following an order from US President Donald Trump on April 16.
• Navy Shakeup: Secretary of the Navy John Phelan was ousted from his position Wednesday, six sources told CNN. The shakeup comes as the US Navy continues its blockade of Iranian ports during the ceasefire.
• Diplomacy in limbo: A deadline for Iran to send a peace proposal to the US remains unsettled, with US President Donald Trump asserting Wednesday that there is “no time frame” for the conflict. Trump extended the ceasefire, after diplomatic efforts with Tehran stalled, and has pushed back on assumptions that political considerations are influencing his approach. A spokesperson for Trump said he doesn’t view Iran’s assertion that it seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz as a ceasefire violation.
• US blockade holds: Late Wednesday night, US Central Command said that it redirected 31 vessels to return to port, or turn around, as part of the ongoing US Navy blockade against Iran. Most vessels have been oil tankers.
• Israel and Lebanon: Later today, Washington will host a second round of talks between Israel and Lebanon in hopes of extending a fragile truce. The talks come a day after Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil was killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese authorities.
• Rejected again: For the fifth time this year, the Senate rejected a measure aimed at restricting Trump’s war powers by requiring congressional approval for any future military action in Iran. The measure failed to advance, 46 to 51.
