The opening of talks yesterday in Geneva between Iranian officials and representatives of the P5+1 (United States, UK, China, Russia, France and Germany) is a major item in this morning’s British media. The Telegraph, Guardian, Independent, Times, Independent i and Evening Standard all report that Iranian officials delivered an hour-long presentation, although its details were not disclosed. Iran is thought to have proposed a timeline in which it would receive sanctions relief in return for accepting some curbs on its nuclear programme. A P5+1 representative is widely quoted calling yesterday’s talks, the first “very detailed” discussion on the issue for some time. It is also reported that Iranian and United States representatives held a direct bilateral conversation. The Times and Telegraph say that Israel has warned the international community not to ease sanctions without the complete cessation of Tehran’s nuclear programme.

In the Guardian online, former US Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton warns that the West can neither trust nor verify Iranian promises over its nuclear programme, leaving the choice of permitting Iran to acquire nuclear weapons or launching a military strike.

The Financial Times includes an interview with Tony Blair, who says that the Quartet-led plan to revive the Palestinian economy will be ready to launch within weeks. The plan includes projects in eight economic sectors and Blair confirmed Israeli support for Palestinian gas development off the Gaza coast. The article suggests that much of the plan’s success will depend on significant relaxation of restrictions in the Israeli controlled areas of the West Bank.

Both the Telegraph and the online edition of the Times report a Syrian imam has ruled that it is religiously permissible for residents of Damascus neighbourhoods besieged by government troops to eat stray dogs and cats, due to the increasing and severe risk of starvation in these areas.

The Daily Mail questions whether Israel’s secret service, Mossad, was responsible for the death of former-Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, after a team of Swiss toxicologists concluded that plutonium poisoning could have been responsible for his death in 2004. However, the Independent i reports that a team of Russian forensic experts has contradicted the findings and concluded that there is no evidence of such poisoning.

In the Israeli media this morning, Maariv leads with comments made by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said at a Knesset session to mark the fortieth anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, that one of the lessons of the 1973 conflict is to ensure that Israel does not give up on the option of a pre-emptive strike against Iran. Israel Hayom and Makor Rishon highlight apparent Iranian refusal during yesterday’s talks in Geneva to permit spot checks by international inspectors. However, Haaretz says that there was progress during yesterday’s discussions regarding Iran’s nuclear programme.

Yediot Ahronot leads with the news that after five hours of talks, the CEO of Teva and the chairman of the Histadrut workers union agreed that expected redundancies at the pharmaceutical giant would be frozen. Makor Rishon also highlights this story. Meanwhile, a report by the State Comptroller’s published yesterday criticised the significant tax breaks given with little oversight to large corporations such as Teva, and is covered prominently by Maariv and Israel Hayom.

Makor Rishon and Israel Hayom say that Prime Minister Netanyahu and Finance Minister Yair Lapid are expected to meet today to choose a new Bank of Israel governor. Israel Radio news reports that official state ceremonies and activities in schools will take place today to mark the anniversary of the assassination of former-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995.