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."

Tuesday marked one year since Israeli soldiers killed 22 Palestinians, including journalists and rescue workers, in a double strike on a hospital in Gaza that provoked global outrage. No one has been held accountable.

Israeli officials said the target was a suspected Hamas camera on the roof of Nasser Hospital. Among those killed were Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri and Mariam Dagga, a visual journalist who worked for The Associated Press and other news organizations.

The top diplomats of Iran and Oman met on Tuesday to discuss a phased approach to managing ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which remains largely shut down nearly six months after the Iran war began.

The talks came after an oil tanker was disabled in an attack off the coast of Oman, underscoring the ongoing dangers for shipping companies attempting to use the waterway while it's under Iranian control.

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.

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.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Monday 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 Palestinian American homeowner whose residence was besieged earlier this month by Israeli settlers said on Monday that he remained unable to move freely in the West Bank village of Qusra. Loui Ridi traveled from Ohio to the Israeli-occupied West Bank to join his relatives defending his home from Israeli settlers a week ago.

Palestinians whose homes have been besieged can only now move about following prior authorization from the Israeli military, which declared the area a closed zone to restore order in Qusra and converted a nearby home into a makeshift drone base.

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 Monday.

The U.S.-mediated discussions on Sunday focused on restarting negotiations for a future security agreement between the two countries, SANA said.

Iran's currency hit a record low Monday as Washington prepared to announce new sanctions it said would be an "economic D-Day" and would add further pressure on an economy already battered by previous sanctions and a U.S. naval blockade.

The rial dropped to 2.02 million to the U.S. dollar as trading opened on informal currency markets. Iran's official Central Bank rate stood at around 1.5 million rial to the dollar, but the informal rate is what most Iranians pay.