Iran and Oman discuss temporary Hormuz corridor as impasse with US drags on

In an effort to hobble Iran's economy, the United States earlier this week threatened to punish countries that continue to do business with Iran, but said it would not impose penalties immediately.

Oil prices fell for a second day as traders brushed off the impact of the U.S. sanctions, while Iran denounced the U.S. effort to isolate its economy as an act of "gross lawlessness", expressing confidence that many countries would not join the pressure campaign.

U.S. public approval of the war has fallen to its lowest level since the conflict's early days, and Trump's popularity is likewise at a record low ahead of congressional elections in November, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling.

Thousands of people have died in the conflict, most of them in Iran and Lebanon, while the U.S. and Israel have degraded much of Iran's conventional military capacity. The exact state of its nuclear program, which the U.S. and Israel aim to dismantle, remains unknown.