Iran-US war latest: Blow for Trump as Congress votes again to curb his powers over $38bn war

Iran vowed to fight on “until the last drop of blood” on Wednesday after threatening the United States that peace talks will not resume until all of their conditions are met.

Brig. Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, chief spokesperson for the Iranian armed forces, told Iranian media: “The people disrupted the enemy’s calculations with 200 nights of resistance, and the armed forces will defend Iran until the last drop of blood.”

Tehran was unmoved as oil prices crept up to $108 per barrel, lifted by disruption around the Strait of Hormuz and the burgeoning crisis between US ally Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels near the Red Sea.

Iran’s foreign minister was instructed by his Chinese counterpart meanwhile to reopen the Strait and return to the interim peace deal signed with the US in June as disruption to energy supplies continues to be felt around the world .

A representative for Iran’s supreme leader on Tuesday had warned that there would be no talks “until Iran’s conditions are met”.

"Don't get distracted by the U.S. president's mixed signals - from 'no negotiations' to 'we're ready to talk'," Mohsen Rezaei wrote in a post on social media.

“The stakes around oil and the straits have changed. Damage control won’t stop what’s coming. No talks until Iran’s conditions are met. Period!”

The top Democrat on the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, Gregory Meeks, has said he will not support the sale of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel over concerns the munitions would not be used in accordance with international law.

President Donald Trump's administration is planning to sell to Israel a munitions package worth $2.8 billion, which will include tens of thousands of highly destructive 2,000-pound bombs, according to a US official familiar with the sale.

The leaders of congressional committees review sales under an informal process, but Meeks' objection alone is not enough to prevent the president from going ahead with the sale.

The US Treasury has said that its Financial Crimes Enforcement Network has called a meeting of global financial institutions to advance Operation Economic Outcast, a pushisolate Tehran and limit its ability to fund the war in the Middle East.

"The event armed financial institutions with the information they need to shut down revenue streams and procurement networks tied to the Iranian regime," the Treasury said in a statement.

The US House of Representatives voted to end the war in Iran for the third time late on Tuesday, approving a war powers resolution that would halt president Donald Trump's ability to continue military action without congressional approval.

The result – 220 votes to 204 – was similar to earlier efforts this summer, with a few more Republicans joining most Democrats voting to bring an end to the conflict.