The US has blocked Palestine from becoming a full member of the United Nations, while Iran has issued a nuclear threat as it looks to ward off a future Israeli retaliation to its own major assault over the weekend.

The US vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution on Thursday that would have allowed Palestine to be admitted as a full member of the international body and effectively recognised its statehood.

The Biden administration said that while it supports Palestinian statehood, it could only be granted as part of wide-ranging peace negotiations with Israel.

Meanwhile, senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Ahmad Haghtalab warned that Israel’s threats “make it possible to review our nuclear doctrine and deviate from our previous considerations”. He added that if Israel was to attack its nuclear centres, “we will surely reciprocate with advanced missiles against their own nuclear sites”.

It is the first time Iran has explicitly referenced its suspected nuclear weapons programme since it fired more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel in an unprecedented attack.

It comes as the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said nearly 34,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its retaliatory attack to Hamas’ 7 October assault.

Key Points

• US blocks Palestine from becoming full member of the United Nations

• Iranian commander says Tehran could review 'nuclear doctrine' amid Israeli threats

• EU leaders back new Iran sanctions after attack on Israel

• Israel will make its own decisions on Iran attack response, says Benjamin Netanyahu

• Congress moving swiftly on bipartisan action to punish Iran after revenge attack on Israel

US blocks Palestine from becoming full member of the United Nations

22:58 , Tara Cobham

The US vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution on Thursday that would have allowed Palestine to be admitted as a full member of the international body and effectively recognised its statehood.

The Biden administration said that while it supports Palestinian statehood, it could only be granted as part of wide-ranging peace negotiations with Israel.

“It remains the US view that the most expeditious path toward statehood for the Palestinian people is through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority with the support of the United States and other partners,” Vedant Patel, the State Department spokesman, told reporters earlier in the day.

Richard Hall reports:

Cameron meets Netanyahu in Jerusalem

22:00 , Alexander Butler

For the West it’s a nuclear nightmare, but the Israel-Iran conflict is helping their leaders cling to power

21:00 , Alexander Butler

Netanyahu rejects Cameron’s call for restraint in Iran attack response

20:00 , Alexander Butler

China and Indonesia call for ceasefire in Gaza

19:00 , Alexander Butler

Liz Truss calls on David Cameron to give Israel more support after Iran attack

18:00 , Alexander Butler

Mike Johnson is gambling everything — but a far-right rebellion is growing

17:00 , Alexander Butler

US and UK issue new sanctions on Iran in response to Tehran's weekend attack on Israel

16:00 , Tom Watling

The US and UK on Thursday imposed a new round of sanctions on Iran as concern grows that Tehran’s unprecedented attack on Israel could fuel a wider war in the Middle East.

Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control targeted 16 people and two entities in Iran that produce engines that power the drones used in the 13 April attack on Israel. Additionally, the UK is targeting several Iranian military organizations, individuals and entities involved in Iran’s drone and ballistic missile industries.

US announces new sanctions on Iran after missile and drone strike on Israel

15:30 , Tom Watling

The United States has announced new sanctions on Iran targeting its unarmed aerial vehicle production after its missile and drone strike on Israel last weekend.

The US Treasury Department statement said the measures targeted 16 individuals and two entities enabling Iran’s UAV production, including engine types that power Iran’s Shahed variant UAVs, which were used in the 13 April attack.

The Treasury said it was also designating five companies in multiple jurisdictions providing component materials for steel production to Iran’s Khuzestan Steel Company (KSC), one of Iran’s largest steel producers, or purchasing finished steel products.

Also targeted, the statement said, were three subsidiaries of Iranian automaker Bahman Group, which it said had materially supported Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The statement said that concurrent with the Treasury action, Britain was imposing sanctions targeting several Iranian military organizations, individuals and entities involved in Iran’s UAV and ballistic missile industries.

The US statement came after finance ministers and central bank governors of the Group of Seven industrial democracies said after a meeting in Wednesday that they would “ensure close coordination of any future measure to diminish Iran's ability to acquire, produce, or transfer weapons to support destabilizing regional activities”.

European Union leaders also decided on Wednesday to step up sanctions against Iran after Tehran's missile and drone attack on Israel left world powers scrambling to prevent a wider conflict in the Middle East

Tehran says it launched the 13 April attack in retaliation for Israel's suspected 1 April strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus. Israel has said it will retaliate, while a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander said on Thursday Iran could review its “nuclear doctrine” following Israeli threats.

For the West it’s a nuclear nightmare, but the Israel-Iran conflict is helping their leaders cling to power

15:00 , Tom Watling

Jack Straw was the first foreign secretary to visit Iran after the 1979 revolution and is used to negotiating with its leaders – even, on one occasion, from a train loo. Here, he explains why Netanyahu and Khamenei are throwing each other a lifeline to stay in power, and warns we could all pay a terrible price...

Update: Nearly 40,000 Palestinians killed since Hamas attack against Israel

14:30 , Tom Watling

At least 33,970 Palestinians have been killed and 76,770 wounded in Israel‘s military offensive on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

Iranian commander says Tehran could review 'nuclear doctrine' amid Israeli threats

14:00 , Tom Watling

Iran could review its “nuclear doctrine” following Israeli threats, a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander has said, raising concerns about Tehran's nuclear programme which it has always said was strictly for peaceful purposes.

Israel has said it will retaliate against Iran's 13 April missile and drone attack, which Tehran says was carried out in response to a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Damascus earlier this month.

“The threats of the Zionist regime (Israel) against Iran's nuclear facilities make it possible to review our nuclear doctrine and deviate from our previous considerations,” Ahmad Haghtalab, the Guards commander in charge of nuclear security, was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

“If [Israel] wants to take action against our nuclear centres and facilities, we will surely and categorically reciprocate with advanced missiles against their own nuclear sites.”

Indirect talks between Tehran and Washington to revive Iran's 2015 nuclear pact has stalled since 2022. The accord, aimed at keeping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, required Tehran to accept restrictions on its nuclear program and more extensive United Nations' inspections, in exchange for an end to United Nations, European Union and US sanctions.

The deal, which had capped Iran's uranium enrichment at 3.67 per cent, was abandoned in 2018 by then-US President Donald Trump, who said it was too generous to Tehran.

Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, said in February that Iran continued to enrich uranium at rates up to 60 per cent purity, which is far beyond the needs for commercial nuclear use.

UN agency helping Palestinians in Gaza seeks support against Israel's demands for its dissolution

13:30 , Tom Watling

The head of the U.N. agency that has helped millions of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank for decades urged the Security Council on Wednesday to ensure its survival as Israel again demanded its dissolution, accusing the agency of becoming part of Hamas’ “terror war machine.”

What sanctions could Iran face after attack on Israel?

13:00 , Tom Watling

The US, UK and Israel’s top allies are preparing to issue further sanctions against Iran following its long-range missile and drone attack against Israel over the weekend.

Though the assault on Israel was largely unsuccessful, with more than 99 per cent of projectiles shot down, the attack has significantly raised tensions between the region’s two most heavily armed nations.

While Israel’s war cabinet discusses its military response, its allies have heeded calls from Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz to lead a “diplomatic attack”.

Palestine FA demands Israel be kicked out of Fifa

12:30 , Tom Watling

The Palestine Football Association (PFA) has called for a Fifa sanction and to exclude the Israel Football Association (IFA) from Fifa on the grounds of human rights and humanitarian law violations committed in the Gaza Strip.

The submission to the international football governing body concerns a number of violations of both international law and Fifa regulations.

European Union official urges G7 to step up air defense for Ukraine and expand Iran sanctions

12:00 , Tom Watling

The European Union’s top diplomat urged Group of Seven foreign ministers on Thursday to take quick, concrete steps to provide more air defense systems to Ukraine, warning that continued delays could tilt the war in Moscow’s favor.

Without more Patriot air defense missile systems to guard against incoming Russian strikes, “the electricity system of Ukraine will be destroyed. And no country can fight without having electricity at home, in the factories, in the front line,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned.

Cameron meets Netanyahu in Jerusalem as world leaders urge Israel not to retaliate after Iran attack

11:30 , Tom Watling

David Cameron met Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Wednesday 17 April, as world leaders urged Israel’s prime minister not to retaliate after Iran launched a revenge mission that pushed the Middle East closer to a regionwide war.

The UK’s foreign secretary told broadcasters “It’s clear the Israelis are making a decision to act” but he hopes it will do so “in a way that is smart as well as tough”.

Lord Cameron added his main aim was to “focus the eyes of the world back on the hostage situation” and urged Hamas to agree to a temporary ceasefire agreement.

Liz Truss calls on David Cameron to give Israel more support

11:00 , Tom Watling

Liz Truss has called on foreign secretary David Cameron to give Israel more support following Iran’s attack.

Iran launched a drone and missile attack on Israel last Saturday (14 April).

The former prime minister said she is “concerned” the Foreign Office is “not wholly supportive of Israel”.

Ms Truss appeared on ITV show Peston on Wednesday (17 April) when she was asked by the presenter: “Do you think that David Cameron, the current foreign secretary, is supportive enough of Israel?”

Ms Truss replied: “I would like to see more support for Israel.”

UN agency helping Palestinians in Gaza seeks support against Israel's demands for its dissolution

10:30 , Tom Watling

The head of the U.N. agency that has helped millions of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank for decades urged the Security Council on Wednesday to ensure its survival as Israel again demanded its dissolution, accusing the agency of becoming part of Hamas’ “terror war machine.”

Philippe Lazzarini told the council that dismantling the agency known as UNRWA would deepen Gaza’s humanitarian crisis and speed up the onset of famine. International experts have warned of imminent famine in northern Gaza and said half the territory’s 2.3 million people could be pushed to the brink of starvation if the six-month Israeli-Hamas war intensifies.

China and Indonesia call for ceasefire in Gaza

10:00 , Tom Watling

The Chinese and Indonesian foreign ministers called for an immediate and lasting cease-fire in Gaza after a meeting in Jakarta on Thursday, condemning the humanitarian costs of the ongoing war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.

Indonesia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi told reporters that the two countries share the same view about the importance of a cease-fire and of resolving the Palestinian problem through a two-state solution.

UK needs to advance defence systems after Iran attack, says former defence minister

09:30 , Tom Watling

The UK needs to advance its defence systems now the world is “more dangerous”, former defence ministerTobias Ellwood has said.

Mr Ellwood claimed there is “nothing protecting London in the same way that the Iron Dome operates over Israel” during an interview with Sky News on Wednesday (17 April).

Mr Ellwood’s comments follow in the wake of Iran’s missile and drone attack on Israel last Saturday (13 April).

Mr Ellwood said the UK needs to “move with the times”.

He added: “We need to start thinking of how to protect ourselves as our character of war starts to change.”

Israel’s top diplomat praises fresh EU sanctions on Iran

09:00 , Tom Watling

Israel’s top diplomat has hailed the European Union’s fresh sanctions against Iran as “an important step on the way to removing the snake’s teeth”, a reference to the prevalence of Iranian missiles and drones across the Middle East.

“I congratulate the EU countries on the decision to impose sanctions on Iran,” foreign minister Israel Katz wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“This is an important step on the way to removing the snake’s teeth - and thanks to all our friends for their support and assistance. Iran must be stopped now before it is too late.”

Qatar says it is rethinking its role as a mediator between Israel and Hamas

08:30 , Tom Watling

Qatar’s prime minister has said the country is reevaluating its role as a mediator between Israel and Hamas.

Qatar has been a key intermediary throughout the war in Gaza.

It, along with the US and Egypt, was instrumental in helping negotiate a brief halt to the fighting in November that led to the release of dozens of hostages.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdurrahman Al Thani said there had been an “abuse” of Qatar’s mediation for “narrow political interests”.

He did not name one side in his remarks. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has criticised Qatar and recently threatened to shutter Qatar-owned broadcaster Al Jazeera.

Top Hamas leaders live in exile in Qatar, which is seen as one of the only parties with influence over the militant group.

Mr Al Thani said there were “limits” to the role of mediator and “to the ability to which we can contribute to these negotiations in a constructive manner”.

Mediators have been trying to push Hamas and Israel toward a ceasefire deal, but the sides remain far apart on key terms.

Netanyahu rejects Cameron’s call for restraint in Iran attack

08:00 , Namita Singh

Benjamin Netanyahu has rebuffed calls for restraint in Israel’s response to Iran’s drone and missile attack over the weekend – despite a direct appeal from David Cameron during talks in Jerusalem.

In a pointed statement, the Israeli prime minister’s office thanked both Lord Cameron and Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, for their “suggestions and advice” while telling them: “I want to make it clear – we will make our own decisions, and the State of Israel will do everything necessary to defend itself.”

Earlier, the foreign secretary said that Israel is “making the decision to act” in retaliation against Iran, but called on Mr Netanyahu’s government to respond in a way that will do “as little to escalate” the confrontation between the two bitter adversaries as possible to avoid wider war in the Middle East.

Report:

In focus: If Iran goes nuclear, the world will become a dangerous place for all of us

07:30 , Namita Singh

Jack Straw was the first foreign secretary to visit Iran after the 1979 revolution and is used to negotiating with its leaders – even, on one occasion, from a train loo. Here, he explains why Netanyahu and Khamenei are throwing each other a lifeline to stay in power, and warns we could all pay the price…

How Israeli strike on Iranian target led to escalation – report

07:00 , Namita Singh

Israel officials failed to foresee Iranian retaliation after it allegedly targeted Iran’s embassy in Syria, the New York Times claimed on Thursday.

It told the US about the impending airstrike of 1 April, when it was moments away, catching the ally off guard, the outlet reported, citing senior American officials involved in high-level discussion.

While the US publicly voiced its support for Israel, privately they expressed anger for moving ahead with the strike without consulting Washington, according to the paper.

The planning of Israeli attack on embassy in Syria began two months earlier, two senior Israeli officials told the paper on condition of anonymity, adding that the target was Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the commander for Syria and Lebanon of Iran’s elite Quds Force. Israeli war cabinet approved the operation on 22 March, it reported citing records of summarised preparations. The Israeli airstrike in Damascus killed seven Iranian officers, including three generals.

Following the attack, Iran vowed retaliation, however, informing the US through diplomatic channel that it does not want outright war with Israel and the US, waiting 12 days before the attack.

According to Iranian officials, its counterattack on Saturday was designed to inflict limited damage, reported the paper.

With Israel looking to respond to Iran, the US suspects, situation in the US will become more volatile as several Western countries rallied together urging Benjamin Netanyahu to exercise restraint.

Congress moving swiftly on bipartisan action to punish Iran after revenge attack on Israel

06:48 , Namita Singh

Iran’s attack against Israel over the weekend has spurred a flurry of bipartisan legislative action in Congress, uniting lawmakers against the country even as the risk of a larger regional war looms.

Several measures introduced and passed in the House and Senate seek to both publicly condemn Iran and punish the Islamic Republic financially. Lawmakers have denounced Iran’s actions, which came in response to a suspected Israeli strike weeks earlier on an Iranian consular building in Syria that killed two Iranian generals.

“The world is on fire, and history will judge us for our action,” said Representative Mike McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, during a news conference on Tuesday.

The swift, bipartisan condemnation of Iran has put on sharp display the durability of American support for Israel, even amid growing partisan division over how the country is handling its more than six-month war with Hamas.

The House passed nearly a dozen bills by Wednesday that would, among other things, issue a slate of new sanctions and other financial restrictions against Iran and its leaders.

Ministers urged by Tory MPs to do more to prevent famine in Gaza

05:30 , Barney Davis

UK government ministers have been urged to act swiftly to prevent famine in Gaza, amid calls for a harder line with the Israelis from a Conservative former minister.

Ex-cabinet minister Kit Malthouse urged the government to “do something concrete to save these lives”, as Foreign Office minister David Rutley faced pressure from to resume funding to UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

The UK and other nations halted funding amid an investigation into allegations the agency’s workers colluded with militant group Hamas, though some have since restored their cashflow. Famine is looming in Gaza, with aid organisations and governments criticising bottlenecks at the Israeli border for restricting the flow of food support.

In a Commons urgent question dominated by opposition MPs, a small group of Tory MPs appealed to the Government to continue supporting UNRWA and press Israel into preventing civilian deaths.

EU leaders back new Iran sanctions after attack on Israel

05:15 , Namita Singh

European Union leaders decided yesterday to step up sanctions against Iran after Tehran’s missile and drone attack on Israel left world powers scrambling to prevent a wider conflict in the Middle East.

The summit in Brussels is the first meeting of the EU’s 27 national leaders since Saturday’s attack, more than six months into the war between Israel and the Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israel has signalled that it will retaliate but has not said how. EU leaders condemned the Iranian attack, reaffirmed their commitment to Israel’s security and called on all sides to prevent more tensions, including in Lebanon.

“The European Union will take further restrictive measures against Iran, notably in relation to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and missiles,” the leaders said in a joint statement.

Israel will defend itself, says Netanyahu

05:00 , Namita Singh

Israel will make its own decisions about how to defend itself, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday said as Western countries pleaded for restraint in responding to a volley of attacks from Iran.

The United States, European Union and G7 group of industrialised nations all announced plans to consider tighter sanctions on Iran, seen as aimed at mollifying Israel and persuading it to rein in its retaliation for the first ever direct Iranian strikes after decades of confrontation by proxy.

Iran attacked in retaliation for a suspected Israeli airstrike on its embassy compound in Damascus on 1 April. Israel and its allies mostly shot down all missiles and drones, but Israel says it must retaliate to preserve the credibility of its deterrents. Iran says it views the matter as closed but will retaliate again if Israel does.

Earlier, Mr Netanyahu met the German and British foreign ministers, who both travelled to Israel as part of a coordinated push to keep confrontation between Israel and Iran from escalating into a regional conflict fueled by the Gaza war.

Mr Netanyahu’s office said he thanked Annalena Baerbock and David Cameron for their support, while telling them: “I want to make it clear - we will make our own decisions, and the State of Israel will do everything necessary to defend itself.”

Earlier, Mr Cameron said it was now apparent Israel planned to retaliate for the Iranian missile and drone strikes.

Ms Baerbock said escalation “would serve no one, not Israel’s security, not the many dozens of hostages still in the hands of Hamas, not the suffering population of Gaza, not the many people in Iran who are themselves suffering under the regime...”

EU to widen Iran sanctions, including drones, missiles – statement

04:45 , Namita Singh

The EU will take further sanctions against Iran following the country’s recent attack on Israel, in particular with regard to the production of drones and missiles, the council of national government leaders said in a statement after a meeting yesterday evening.

Ireland urging Gaza not to respond to Iran attack

04:30 , Barney Davis

Ireland’s deputy premier and foreign affairs minister Micheal Martin has urged Israel not to respond to Iran’s unprecedented attack, warning that the threat of escalation in the Middle East “could not get more serious”.

“Ireland’s role, along with fellow members of the European Union, is to appeal for de-escalation of tensions and conflict between Israel and Iran,” he told a commissioning ceremony in County Kildare.

“The implications for the wider region and the civilians in the wider region are extremely dark if conflict escalates – and for the world itself in terms of lives and in terms of livelihoods.

“Regional escalation has the potential to really undermine and obstruct trade routes, which impacts people in terms of food and in terms of the basic essentials of life so it could not get more serious. We’re saying to Israel not to respond to Iran’s attack, and we’re saying to both sides to de-escalate.

“We must not forget about the plight of the people of Gaza who are close to famine, too many civilian lives have been lost, the trauma and terror that the children of Gaza have been through must end, and that war has to end very quickly and we have to get around the table in terms of charting a pathway for the reconstruction of Gaza and also for moving towards a political solution along the lines of a two-state approach.”

House Ukraine, Israel aid package gains Biden’s support as Speaker Johnson fights to keep his job

04:24 , Namita Singh

President Joe Biden yesterday said he strongly supports a proposal from Republican House speaker Mike Johnson to provide aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending crucial bipartisan support to the precarious effort to approve $95bn in funding for the US allies this week.

Before potential weekend voting, Mr Johnson was facing a choice between potentially losing his job and aiding Ukraine. He notified lawmakers earlier yesterday that he would forge ahead despite growing anger from his right flank. Shortly after Johnson released the aid proposals, the Democratic president offered his emphatic support for the package.

“The House must pass the package this week, and the Senate should quickly follow,” Mr Biden said.