White House says no deadline set for Iranian proposal as maritime incidents escalate

The United States–Iran standoff remains focused on the Strait of Hormuz, where ceasefire negotiations are unresolved and military and economic pressure continue to shape developments.

In remarks to reporters, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump has not set a deadline for Iran to submit a peace proposal, stressing the timeline will be determined by the president. She said “the effective and successful naval blockade continues”, claiming the US is “strangling their economy” and that Iran is “losing $500 million a day”, while reiterating there is “no firm deadline” for a response.

According to US Central Command, 31 vessels—mostly oil tankers—have been turned back under a large-scale blockade involving around 10,000 personnel, 17 warships and more than 100 aircraft.

Maritime tensions have intensified, with Iran firing on three ships and seizing two of them in the Strait of Hormuz.

Technomar, the management company behind the Liberian-registered Epaminondas, said it was “approached and fired upon by a manned gunboat” off the coast of Oman. It said the ship’s bridge was damaged.

A second cargo ship came under fire hours later, with no report of damage, though it was then stopped in the water. Panama condemned what it called the “illegal seizure” of the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca, and said it represented a serious attack on maritime security.

The Guard attacked a third ship, identified as the Euphoria, which had become “stranded” on the Iranian coast, Iranian media reported, without elaborating.

Iranian media said the MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas were being escorted to Iran. The US had earlier seized two Iranian vessels as the ceasefire talks were due to take place in Pakistan.

Karoline Leavitt said the seizures did not breach truce terms as they did not involve US or Israeli ships.

As the US awaits what it describes as a “unified response”, President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran seeks “dialogue and agreement” but cited “breach of commitments, blockade and threats” as key obstacles.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said reopening the Strait of Hormuz is “impossible” under current conditions, while Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei accused Washington of a “lack of good faith” and said Iran has yet to decide on participating in further talks.

ℹ️ DRM News, AP News, Al Jazeera