Iran warned that U.S. sanctions set to be announced Monday would not bring peace to the region. Meanwhile, Israeli and Syrian officials met less than a week after Israeli strikes in Syria. And Israel said it killed a Hamas commander in Gaza. Here’s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider Middle East on Monday. Full coverage can be found here. Iran threatens response ahead of U.S. sanctions announcement Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson warned that Tehran would respond harshly to expanded U.S. sanctions, including measures against countries it sees as co-operating with Washington. “Any escalation of this situation will undoubtedly bring about consequences,” Esmail Baghaei said. “Our hands are not tied.” The new head of Iran’s top security body warned Sunday that Tehran will see any country’s support for the sanctions as an “act of war.” The expanded sanctions come after weeks of impasse. The United States has not dislodged Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil passed before the war started nearly six months ago. Iran’s demands for reopening the strait include lifting the U.S. naval blockade, withdrawing U.S. forces from the region and reparations for damages sustained in the war. It has held separate talks with Oman, on the other side of the strait, on jointly managing the waterway regardless of whether a new deal is brokered with the U.S. Sanctions have historically raised prices of basic goods in Iran, but after decades of withstanding them, Iran’s economy has adapted through finding new trading partners and building domestic industries. Ahead of the expected U.S. announcement, the country’s currency hit a record low on Monday. China warns new sanctions will ‘escalate the situation’ China said Monday that sanctions and additional pressure “will not help resolve the issue,” as the U.S. has threatened to impose secondary sanctions on countries that trade with Iran. “They will only exacerbate tensions and escalate the situation, which is in no one’s interest,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said during a daily briefing in Beijing. He added that China was calling on all parties to avoid measures “that could further intensify differences and conflicts and disrupt global economic development and financial stability.” China is considered the biggest buyer of Iranian oil, and was importing more than 80 per cent of Iranian oil before the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Israeli and Syrian officials meet following an Israeli airstrike Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani met over the weekend with a high-level Israeli delegation in Jordan to try to defuse tensions after Israel last week struck an air base in northern Syria, Syrian state news agency SANA reported. The U.S.-mediated discussions on Sunday focused on restarting negotiations for a future security agreement, SANA said. Israel struck the Abu Duhur air base in Idlib province, saying it aimed to stop Turkiye -- which has supported the new Syrian government’s efforts to rebuild its armed forces after 14 years of civil war -- from establishing a presence there. Syrian officials during the talks asserted the right to develop an army and freely forge alliances with any country, SANA said. They also called for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from a buffer zone in southern Syria they have occupied since December 2024, and reiterated Syria’s stance that the Golan Heights -- which Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed -- is Syrian territory. Israeli officials didn’t immediately comment on the meeting. An oil tanker is struck off Saudi Arabia A crude oil tanker was struck by an unknown projectile Monday off Saudi Arabia, the British military said. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization said the attack occurred 63 nautical miles west of the Red Sea city of Yanbu, and a fire was ignited on the main deck. There were no reports of casualties. Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have attacked Saudi tankers in recent weeks but did not claim this attack, and did not respond to requests for comment. The group’s military spokesperson said the rebels will release a statement about “military operations” later in the day. Israel says it killed another Hamas militant Israel’s military said it killed a militant affiliated with Hamas’ special forces unit in an overnight airstrike, the latest targeted killing announced since U.S. officials met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week hoping to push last year’s ceasefire deal forward. Israel says it targets and kills Palestinian militants it says participated in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war. Israel has announced targeted strikes on six of the seven days since U.S. negotiator Jared Kushner’s meeting with Netanyahu. At least 1,288 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire took effect last October, according to Gaza’s health ministry, part of the Hamas-run government. Its numbers are generally considered reliable by the international community. Palestinian American says he can’t freely leave West Bank home The Palestinian American homeowner whose residence was besieged this month by Israeli settlers said he remained unable to move freely in the village of Qusra in the occupied West Bank. Loui Ridi traveled from Ohio to join his relatives defending his home a week ago. The Israeli military declared the area a closed zone to restore order in Qusra. Ridi said settlers returned throughout the week to the hill above his house. Since Israeli settlers surrounded the house more than two weeks ago, preventing occupants from leaving, Israeli soldiers have encouraged them to leave but Israel’s police have not announced arrests. The siege and Israel’s response have sparked condemnation from Israeli rights groups and foreign officials, including U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who called the violence terrorism. Palestinians consider the West Bank, home to some 3 million Palestinians and 560,000 Israeli settlers, the heart of any future state and have condemned Israel’s expansion there. This year has seen a dramatic spike in violence carried out by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.
