Middle East crisis

Peace talks
Reports: Iran denies ready deal with US

An Iranian source denies media reports that a deal with the US is ready, the Tasnim news agency reports according to Reuters.

According to the source, Iran has not contacted the Pakistani mediators with a ready deal, which they will do as soon as one is ready.

Earlier on Thursday, American sources told Axios that Iran and the US had reached a peace deal that only lacked Trump's final approval.

Israel-Palestine conflict
Israel "breaks all contact" with UN chief

Israel breaks all contact with UN Secretary-General António Guterres. This is what the country's UN ambassador Danny Danon writes on X.

The reason is the UN's announcement that Israel is being included on a "blacklist" of countries and other actors suspected of using sexual violence as a weapon in conflicts, writes the Jerusalem Post. Hamas was added to the list - which is compiled by the UN Secretary-General - last year.

- The Secretary-General and his staff continue to spread lies about Israel. Putting us and the terrorists in Hamas on the same list is unacceptable, says Danny Danon according to AFP.

Guterres will step down from his post at the end of the year. The Israeli delegation to the UN says that until then they will have no contact with the Secretary-General, reports AFP.

UN Blacklists Israel for Sexual Violence Against Prisoners

The UN has included Israel on a “blacklist” of countries and actors that use sexual violence in conflicts, France 24 reports. As recently as August last year, Hamas was included on the same list, which is updated annually, the Jerusalem Post reports.

The inclusion concerns the Israeli prison system, but according to the Jerusalem Post, more Israeli authorities may be added to the list in the future. The UN has previously said it has “credible information” that Israeli security services have allegedly committed sexual abuse against Palestinian prisoners, France 24 reports.