Donald Trump has announced a three-week extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office alongside meeting participants. He expressed hope the two countries’ leaders would meet during this additional cessation of hostilities. When asked how long he’d wait for a long-term peace deal with Iran, Trump replied: “Don’t rush me.”
The US president earlier ordered the navy to “shoot and kill” small Iranian boats laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, claiming US minesweepers “are clearing the strait right now” amid the standoff. US special forces boarded a stateless oil tanker in the Indian Ocean, which the Pentagon said carried Iranian crude oil, raising tensions. Trump claimed the US had “hit about 75% of our targets” in Iran, blaming lack of a deal on Iran’s leadership being “in turmoil.”
Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, rejected claims of internal division, saying there are no “hardliners” or “moderates.” Foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi added that state institutions “continue to act with unity, purpose and discipline.” The US offered up to $10 million for information on Hashim Finyan Rahim al-Saraji, leader of the Tehran-backed Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada militia in Iraq, labeled a terrorist group.
Israel’s killing of Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil, 43, in a strike sparked international outrage, with Lebanon’s prime minister calling it a “war crime.” Colleagues said rescuers were targeted while trying to dig her out of rubble. US journalist Shelly Kittleson, freed a week after being kidnapped in Baghdad by Kataib Hezbollah, thanked supporters online. Italian sports officials rejected a Trump administration suggestion to replace Iran at the World Cup. Pope Leo urged US-Iran talks to end the war and condemned capital punishment, calling for a “culture of peace.”