Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday said that the "United States will achieve nothing" with its new round of economic sanctions, local media reported.

"Given the measures the government has undertaken, America will not achieve anything with economic pressure at this stage, just as it was unable to achieve anything in the war," Pezeshkian said, according to ISNA news agency.

As extreme heat fuels wildfires worldwide this summer, Lebanese officials and residents have accused Israel's military of systematically sparking blazes that have burnt swathes of forest and farmland in the country's south.

In the village of Shaqra, Haidar Qoteish, 36, says he has watched fires devour fields and orchards in his hometown of Houla, just five kilometers away but under Israeli military control.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a diplomatic deal was not possible with the "savages" who rule Iran as he hailed U.S. President Donald Trump's new campaign of economic pressure.

Recounting a recent meeting with Trump, Netanyahu told an event late Tuesday that they had discussed the possibility of diplomacy with Iran and said: "I doubt, however, that an agreement can be reached with that group there, with those savages. I tell you -- an agreement cannot be reached."

Iranian Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh predicted "another defeat" for the United States, saying the Islamic republic had a "two-year plan" to counter Washington's new sanctions.

"They have done everything they could to test the determination of the Iranian people and the country's officials, but they have failed every time. It seems they wished to suffer yet another defeat," Madanizadeh told state television.

Turkey on Tuesday welcomed the United States' decision to remove Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, hoping that it would boost efforts to integrate the war-torn country with the world.

"We believe this decision will lend momentum to efforts to strengthen Syria's ties with the international community and to establish lasting security and stability in the country," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

China said on Tuesday it would safeguard its interests after Washington laid out plans for the "economic asphyxiation" of Beijing's economic partner Iran.

Almost six months into its war with Iran, the United States issued new penalties on some entities including in China and expanded secondary sanctions threats, urging governments worldwide to join its economic campaign.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that Iran was "collapsing" as Washington prepared to announce the details of a new economic pressure campaign that Tehran has derided as an admission of defeat.

Almost six months into their war, the two sides are locked in a stalemate, with peace talks stalled, Iran keeping the key Strait of Hormuz shut and Washington persisting with a naval counter-blockade of Iran.

A Syrian court on Monday handed a life sentence to Ahmad Hassoun, the country's former grand mufti under ousted leader Bashar al-Assad, convicting him of crimes including inciting sectarian strife and exploiting his position.

Hassoun, the 10th Assad-era figure to be sentenced under the new authorities, was Syria's top Muslim cleric for 16 years, known for his close ties to the former president and frequent appearances alongside him on religious occasions.

Iran's foreign ministry said on Monday that France's move to expel two Iranian diplomats in response to Tehran's ban on two French diplomats was "illegal".

"The action that France took is an illegal action in response to Iran's legal action, and is in no way helpful to bilateral relations," said ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei in a weekly press conference.

A tanker caught fire after being struck by an "unknown projectile" off the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia on Monday, a British maritime agency said.

"The Company Security Officer reported a tanker has been struck by unknown projectile causing a fire to the vessel on the main deck. All crew are safe and accounted for and no environmental impact has been reported," said the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).