The Times reports that Iranian officials continue to send out conflicting messages about the likelihood Tehran would accept America’s conditions to return to the JCPOA nuclear agreement. Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, told the Munich Security Conference yesterday that the “window was open” and “we are close to a deal”. Meanwhile, Iran’s parliament published a letter to President Ebrahim Raisi demanding that a deal should not be signed unless all Iran’s initial demands were met.

Reuters reports that one Israeli minister sees an upgrade in bilateral talks with US to “complement” a return to the JCPOA nuclear deal.

A Russian invasion of Ukraine could risks pushing families across Middle East and North Africa into severe hunger, says the Telegraph. Families who already face skyrocketing food prices could see the cost of staple items climb even higher if supply chains are disrupted.

The Independent reports that a military jet has crashed in Iran near a school, killing at least three passengers. Local army official praised the pilots for ‘sacrificing’ their lives to prevent the jet from crashing in a residential area.

A veteran Turkish political leader who has struggled for years to have President Recep Tayyip Erdogan voted out of office says it is “very clear” that his dream is drawing nearer, according to Reuters, even as doubts remain about whether he will be the main opposition candidate at presidential elections set for 2023.

The library of Mosul University, once one of the Middle East’s finest, has reopened its doors after two years of work The Times writes, as the city boasts a revival it says should be a model for the rest of the country. The university is under a major reconstruction plan that has so far required the removal or detonation of the remains of 3,000 bombs and 200 missiles.

The Kurdish transgender woman Doski Azad shot dead by her brother last month, had been living in hiding from her family after repeated death threats, says the Guardian. According to friends, Azad had had to move home regularly after several death threats by male members of her family.

In the Israeli media Ofer Shelah, a former member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, writes in Yediot Ahronot that “a nuclear agreement, even if it is an unimproved copy of the 2015 agreement, would be better than the situation that was created by Trump’s unilateral withdrawal”. Shelah criticises Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s policy as lacking strategic purpose and calls instead for a policy which to achieve a balance with Iran, “one that takes the complex Iranian position in the world into account … prioritises political expediency, ignores domestic partisan politics and stops playing up the illusion as if the solution to every problem is a combat plane”.

Maariv reports from the Munich Security Conference where Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said his country would only sign onto the Abraham Accords if Israel and the Palestinians reached a solution or, at least, were to engage in talks about plans for an accommodation that could be implemented. In response to questions from Maariv, bin Farhan said: “Israel’s integration into the region will greatly benefit not only Israel itself but also the whole region, but without addressing of the Palestinian people’s core problems and granting dignity and sovereignty to the Palestinian people by means of establishing a Palestinian state, instability and risks to Israel’s security and the entire region’s security of the area will remain. A situation of that kind we will strengthen the extremists in the region.” Meanwhile, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said: “We are trying to work hard with Egypt and European countries, and we have a direct relationship with Israel now to find a political horizon. Peace in the region is the key question, but we need to maintain a realistic assessment of the situation, which is not at all promising.”

Israel Hayom reports that President Isaac Herzog will leave on state visits to Greece and Cyprus ahead of his planned visit to Turkey next month. The Turks have been informed of Herzog’s visits to Greece and Cyprus and have welcomed them. Next Wednesday the president will visit Cyprus and will meet with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades. The following day the president will arrive in Athens at the invitation of Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou. Herzog said: “We will discuss possibilities for cooperation in the climate crisis in the Mediterranean Sea.”

Kan Radio releases new figures about the continueda drop in the COVID infection rate. The number of people hospitalised in serious condition stands at 804, which is 450 fewer than just two weeks ago. As of last night, 14,000 people had tested positive for Covid. The total number of people who have died of the virus in Israel stands at 9,971.

Maariv follows the latest developments in Sheikh Jarrah where MK Itamar Ben-Gvir reopened his office yesterday despite encountering resistance from the police, which is worried about tensions flaring in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood. Ben-Gvir had planned to hold a staff meeting on the site, but police officials refused to allow him to do so. “Ever since my arrival, the neighbourhood has been quieter than ever. Maybe certain elements within the police have an interest in heating things up,” Ben-Gvir said. Religious Zionist Party Faction Chairwoman Orit Struck, who also co-chairs the Land of Israel Caucus in the Knesset, arrived yesterday to replace Ben-Gvir in the neighbourhood to allow him to perform his other duties.