White House denies wanting to extend ceasefire - as Iran threatens to shut down the Red Sea unless Trump lifts naval blockade: RECAP

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that reports claiming Trump wants to extend the ceasefire with Iran are 'not true at this moment.'

Despite this, she told reporters: 'We feel good about the prospects of a deal. It’s obviously in the best interests of Iran to meet the president’s demands.'

As a tentative two-week ceasefire continues:

• The US says it has stepped up its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and it has 'completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea'
• Iran's military has threatened to block the Red Sea if the US naval blockade continues
• Donald Trump accused China of supplying Iran with weapons - and it emerged Iran used a Chinese spy satellite it secretly bought in 2024 to target US bases in the current war
• Lebanon described preliminary talks with Israel in the US as 'productive' while Israel said the talks show the three countries 'are on the same side of the equation'
• Trump said it was 'very possible' the war would be over by the time King Charles visits the US later this month
• He also suggested the special relationship with the UK 'has been better' and said 'I think that I like Starmer'
• Iran has not commented on Trump's claims, but mediators are said to be close to extending the ceasefire

The Trump administration wants automakers and other American manufacturers to play a larger role in weapons production, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the discussions.

Senior defence officials have held talks about producing weapons and other military supplies with the top executives of companies including General Motors and Ford Motor, the Journal said, adding that the discussions started before the war in Iran.

Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said in a call with his Chinese counterpart that there may be 'dangerous consequences' to the US' 'provocative actions' in the Strait of Hormuz.

He said the US' blockade would lead to a more 'complicated situation' in the region which would pose a threat to peace.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino confidently said that Iran is 'for sure' going to participate in the World Cup.

Speaking at a CNBC event on Tuesday, he said: 'Iran has to come, of course. They represent their ⁠people. They have qualified. The players want to play.'

He added: 'They should ⁠play. Sports should be outside of politics.

'Now, OK -- we don't live on the moon, we live on planet Earth, but if there is nobody else that believes ​in building bridges and in keeping them intact and together, well we ‌are doing that.'

The director-general of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, slammed Israeli strikes on Lebanon's Tebnine Government Hospital.

He said the medical facility, one of the busiest in the south of the country, suffered critical damage to equipment including ventilators, monitors, stretchers and trolleys, as well as the pharmacy and outpatient clinics.

While services at the hospital continue to function, he said the WHO is 'supporting urgent emergency maintenance based on priority needs.'

Taking to X, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf - the speaker of Iran's parliament - claims that Hezbollah will have an outsized role in the ceasefire in Lebanon.

He said: 'The completion and consolidation of a comprehensive ceasefire in Lebanon will be the result of the steadfastness and struggle of the esteemed Hezbollah and its heroic deeds, and the unity of the Axis of Resistance.

'The Resistance and Iran are one and the same entity, whether in war or in a ceasefire.'

The Financial Times reports that a ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel is expected to be announced 'soon.'

Citing Lebanese officials, a truce could come into play as soon as 'this week', most likely after the IDF finish their assault on the town of Bint Jbeil.