By Olivia Le Poidevin

GENEVA, June 23 (Reuters) - Iran's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva on Tuesday reported good progress in peace talks between the United States and Iran, but denied U.S. claims that Tehran would use assets unfrozen as part of a deal to buy U.S. commodities.

"Our colleagues continue to discuss in very good talks yesterday at the technical level," said Ali Bahreini, adding that two working groups will be established within the coming days to discussthe removal of sanctions against Iran and issues related to Iranian nuclear activities.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that Washington would not accept Iranian tolls or fees on the Strait of Hormuz, as disputes over the vital waterway, nuclear inspections, and missiles exposed early strains in negotiations to end the Middle East war.

Washington and Tehran have signed a preliminary agreement to halt the conflict and concluded a first round of talks in Switzerland, opening a 60-day negotiation period on sanctions relief, Iran's nuclear programme and the future of Hormuz.

UN chief Antonio Guterres challenged AI firms on Tuesday to disclose their growing environmental footprint as part of a push for faster global action to curb climate change.

As Europe bakes under a second heatwave in as many months, Guterres delivered a speech in London that painted a stark picture of a planet that has just endured its 11 hottest years on record.

"Climate chaos is accelerating before our eyes," Guterres said, while the energy crisis, fuelled by war in the Middle East, is "exposing the folly of a world hooked on hydrocarbons".

Tehran alone will decide how to use its frozen assets once they are unfrozen under a US-Iranian deal towards ending the Middle East war, an Iranian ambassador said Tuesday, contradicting US claims.

As part of the deal under negotiation, Washington has agreed to release $12 billion in frozen funds to Iran, Iranian state media reported on Tuesday, and temporarily suspend sanctions on oil from the Islamic republic.

By Olivia Le Poidevin

GENEVA, June 23 (Reuters) - Israeli authorities and security forces deliberately targeted Palestinian children, resulting in genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza, and war crimes in the occupied West Bank, an independent U.N. inquiry said on Tuesday.

The report by the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel examined violations against Palestinian children since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, 2023.

By Isaac Anyaogu

LAGOS, June 23 (Reuters) - Global gas flaring rose to a six-year high in 2025, driven by increases in Russia and Iran, according to World Bankdata, hindering efforts to end by the end of this decade the routine burning of gas produced alongside oil.

Flaring climbed for a third consecutive year to 167 billion cubic metres, wasting an estimated $54 billion worth of gas and outpacing growth in global oil production, according to the World Bank's Global Gas Flaring Tracker.

By Emily Chow and Florence Tan

SINGAPORE, June 23 (Reuters) - Two stranded supertankers passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, while seven empty Qatar-linked liquefied natural gas tankers have entered in recent weeks in an early sign Gulf gas shipping may be resuming, ship-tracking data show.

Israel is deliberately targeting Palestinian children in what has become a key factor in an ongoing "genocide" in Gaza, United Nations investigators charged on Tuesday, in a report slammed by Israel.

The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry said it had found evidence that "Palestinian children have been deliberately targeted and killed by Israeli security forces".

This, it said, was a key factor in establishing "the genocidal intent of the Israeli authorities and security forces to destroy the larger Palestinian group in Gaza".

By Ariba Shahid and Saad Sayeed

KARACHI, June 23 (Reuters) - Pakistan's role in brokering a peace deal in the Iran war has led to widespread diplomatic acclaim that could bring Islamabad some economic benefits, but analysts question whether such gains can help resolve the fault lines in its economy.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir attended talks between Iran and the U.S. in the Swiss town of Buergenstock last weekend, the culmination of Pakistan's months-long role in one of the world's most consequential diplomatic negotiations.

By Maya Gebeily

BEIRUT, June 23 (Reuters) - Lebanon heads into a new round of talks with Israel on Tuesday in Washington, with Beirut determined to press ahead with direct negotiations even as they appear to be overshadowed by Iran's decision to make Lebanon part of its negotiations with the United States.