By Menna Alaa El-Din and Kanishka Singh

CAIRO/WASHINGTON, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Iran on Saturday denounced U.S. plans to announce new sanctions that could put further strain on the Islamic Republic's economy and have an impact on its most important trading partners including China.

After nearly six months of war since the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran on February 28, the sides are not firing at each other but also showing no sign of pursuing peace talks.

French President Emmanuel Macron Sunday welcomed Saudi crown prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman for a two-day visit, hosting him at the Esports World Cup before a second day focused on bilateral deals and the situation in the Middle East.

A French presidential official said several agreements, on health, transport and energy, will be signed on Monday alongside talks likely to focus on Iran.

By Andrea Shalal

WASHINGTON, Aug 22 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to hit Iran hard economically, after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Washington would impose measures on Tehran that have "never been seen" as soon as next week.

Bessent is due to hold a press conference at ​2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT) on Monday.

The United States, ‌United Nations and European Union have applied sanctions, implemented trade embargoes and frozen assets since the late 1970s over Iran's nuclear program, human rights violations and support for militant groups.

Dozens of former senior French and UK diplomats on Saturday urged their governments to work together to uphold international law in the Palestinian territories, accusing Israel of seeking to "destroy" any prospect of a viable Palestinian state.

The 102 signatories of the letter published in Le Monde included former British ambassadors to the UN Jeremy Greenstock and Emyr Jones Parry as well the former directors for the Middle East at the French foreign ministry Yves Aubin de la Messuziere and Denis Bauchard.

Aug 22 (Reuters) - Iran has granted permission for a number of Iraqi oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz following repeated requests from Baghdad through various channels, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported on Saturday.

IRNA said obtaining special permission for Iraqi tankers was one of Baghdad’s main requests during Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf’s visit to Iraq.

By Humeyra Pamuk, Andrea Shalal and Steve Holland

WASHINGTON, Aug 22 (Reuters) - With the Iran war now at a costly standoff and crises from Ukraine to Gaza still unresolved, President Donald Trump's ambitious foreign policy agenda appears stuck as he heads into November's midterm elections.

The setbacks are striking for a president who returned to office last year promising to be a "peacemaker" and made resolving international conflicts a centerpiece of his second-term agenda.

By Kanishka Singh and Ismail Shakil

WASHINGTON, Aug 21 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he thought Tehran was not ready to make the "right deal" and that Washington was observing "what happens" in the Iran war.

QUOTES AND DETAILS:

• "It just means that we're seeing what happens," Trump told reporters when asked if U.S. military options with Iran were limited.

• Washington pledged this week to impose the toughest financial penalties in history with the aim of toppling the Iranian leadership.

By Jana Choukeir, Eman Abouhassira and Susan Heavey

DUBAI/WASHINGTON, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Iran said on Friday that its response to any new U.S. threats would be "devastating" after Washington pledged to impose the toughest financial penalties in history with the aim of toppling the Iranian leadership.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he would give details on Monday of the planned sanctions, after President Donald Trump warned of economic consequences against any country that provided "any type of lifeline to Iran."

BRUSSELS, Aug 21 (Reuters) - NATO's top commander convened a videoconference earlier this week to facilitate possible contributions to support freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, his spokesperson told Reuters, adding that this is not a NATO mission.

ISTANBUL, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Turkey said on Friday it would seek an Interpol red notice for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as part of a domestic criminal case linked to an attack on activists seeking to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.