The UK media report this morning on a newly released and secretly recorded video of US presidential candidate Mitt Romney, in which he appears to dismiss the prospect of a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians and questions the Palestinian’s desire to reach an accord. The Daily Mirror, Independent, Telegraph, Guardian and the Sun all report on Romney’s comments.  An analysis of the story in the Guardian reiterates the ideological differences between Fatah and Hamas.  The Independent’s i carries a news item from Reuters, reporting that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has further urged Iran to address concerns over its nuclear development. This comes just a day after an Iranian official spoke at the IAEA general conference in Vienna and launched an attack on the agency, suggesting ‘terrorists and saboteurs’ had infiltrated it. Both The BBC online and the Independent reported on the Iranian spokesman’s comments. Online, the Financial Times publishes comments by the speaker of the Iranian parliament Ali Larijani, who claims that Tehran has held talks with Syrian opposition groups over finding a peaceful solution to the turmoil in the country. Meanwhile, the Times reports that a Syrian general, who defected three months ago, has admitted that talks have taken place among the Syrian leadership over the possible use of chemical weapons. Major-General Adnan Sillu claims that Syrian leaders discussed the possibility of using chemical weapons against Syrian civilians and the possible transfer of chemical weapons to Hezbollah for use against Israel. The Metro this morning features a review of ‘Jerusalem’, the latest cookbook by famed Israeli chef Yotam Ottolenghi.

In the Israeli media this morning, Haaretz leads with the story that chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, has suggested that the Palestinian leadership is considering cancelling the Oslo Accords with Israel. Erekat accused Israel of scuppering attempts to revive the peace process. Erekat’s remarks echo similar comments made by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday. The front-pages of both Maariv and Yisrael Hayom focus on the admission by the Iranian representative at the IAEA general conference that power cables at the Fordow Enrichment Plant were severed by an explosion on 17 August. The article in Yisrael Hayom also reports that three viruses have recently hit the Iranian nuclear programme. Meanwhile, the online edition of Yediot Ahronot devotes significant coverage to a report in the Times that the Syrian leadership has weighed up the possibility of supplying Hezbollah with chemical weapons to use directly against Israel.  All daily newspapers in Israel report on the death of Israel Prize laureate Haim Hefer, who passed away aged 86 in Tel Aviv.  Hefer was a prolific poet and song-writer and had been awarded the Israel Prize in 1983.