Trump says 'no time frame' for ending war, Iran opposes maritime blockades

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said there is "no time frame" for ending the war with Iran, while Iran's parliamentary speaker insisted that a full ceasefire depends on the lifting of maritime blockades.

Trump told Fox News there was "no time pressure" on the extended ceasefire or upcoming peace talks.

"People say I want to get it over because of the midterms, not true," Trump claimed. He initially said the war would last four to six weeks after it began on February 28.

Also on Wednesday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said a comprehensive ceasefire would only be meaningful if it is not accompanied by maritime blockades or what he described as "holding the global economy hostage," and if Israel halts its military actions on all fronts.

He added that reopening the Strait of Hormuz would be impossible if there were serious violations of a ceasefire.

No date agreed for talks

Meanwhile, Trump told the New York Post that it's "possible" fresh peace talks with Iran could take place as soon as Friday.

However, Iran accused Trump of lying again, insisting it has not decided to attend talks on Friday, according to China Media Group (CMG).

Tehran called Trump's talk of a second round of negotiations "contradictory remarks," and said it has not changed its plan to stay away from negotiations.

Delegations from Iran and the United States were expected to hold the second round of peace talks in Pakistan this week. The two countries held their first round of talks on April 11-12 in Islamabad, but the negotiations failed to reach an agreement.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated on Wednesday that Iran has always supported resolving issues through dialogue and agreements, and will continue to do so.

Writing on X, he said breaches of commitments, blockades, and threats constitute the main obstacles to genuine negotiations, adding that "world sees your endless hypocritical rhetoric and contradiction between claims and actions," in reference to the United States.

Earlier in the day, Axios, citing US officials, reported that Trump is giving Tehran three to five days to unite behind a "coherent counter-offer," or the ceasefire extended on Tuesday will end.

"It is not going to be open-ended," the officials said.

The Iranian government is yet to announce an official stance on extending the ceasefire, according to CMG.

Pakistan, mediator of the first US-Iran talks, called on Washington Wednesday to lift its maritime blockade on Iran and revive stalled negotiations. 

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Israel says no major disagreements with Lebanon

Ahead of a scheduled second round of talks between Israel and Lebanon at the ambassador level, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Wednesday that there are "no major disagreements" between the two countries.

Israel has made what he called a historic decision to hold direct negotiations with Lebanon after more than 40 years, Saar said, in an apparent reference to the first face-to-face talks between Israeli and Lebanese officials in Washington on April 14.

He noted that only "minor border disputes" exist between Israel and Lebanon, adding that those issues are resolvable. According to Saar, the sole major obstacle to peace and normalization between is Hezbollah.

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri told media on Tuesday that Israeli forces must withdraw unconditionally from occupied Lebanese territory in the south.

Berri warned that as long as Israeli troops maintain their occupation of southern Lebanon, they will continue to face resistance operations.

The second round of Israel-Lebanon talks is scheduled to take place on Thursday at the US State Department, according to earlier reports.

The developments came after a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that took effect April 16, following a US-announced agreement aimed at halting weeks of escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.

(With input from agencies)