U.S. Vice President Vance said he will not commit to a timeline for lowering oil prices.

Three senior Iranian sources said US sanctions and a blockade are beginning to have an impact. Washington has sought in recent weeks to step up economic pressure to force concessions in future talks; six months of conflict have so far failed to secure the concessions the US seeks. The sources said new US measures have left Iran more vulnerable despite decades of sanctions-evasion, leaving Tehran with only a few channels to access foreign currency or procure goods. They highlighted US efforts to sever other countries’ international financing networks long relied on by Iran as a real and immediate threat. If the economic campaign breaks the months-long stalemate it would bolster US policymakers’ confidence, but Iran has warned it could respond to economic pressure with military escalation, raising near-term risk.

A-share cement sector rallied; Fujian Cement hit the daily limit-up. Tibet Tianlu, Hetai Electromechanical, Shangfeng Materials, Huaxin Building Materials and Ningbo Fuda also rose.