Iran calls U.S. sanctions support ‘act of war’ as its currency crumbles

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 US 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 cooperating 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.

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.