Reuters: India removed a hefty tax and took other steps to ease payments in its rupee currency for some imports of Iranian oil as it seeks to continue purchases – albeit reduced — in face of Western sanctions that blocked an earlier payment method.

AP: Iran once saw the Arab Spring uprisings as a prime opportunity, hoping it would open the door for it to spread its influence in countries whose autocratic leaders long shunned Tehran’s ruling clerics.

AFP: OPEC announced Thursday it was keeping its oil output ceiling unchanged but vowed to eliminate overproduction as it sought to halt falling oil prices amid a weak global economy and eurozone debt crisis.

Reuters: South Korea has imposed curbs on exports to Iran – mainly steel, cars and electronics – to reduce its risk of payment defaults as western sanctions disrupt Iranian oil exports, highlighting the growing risk of doing business with the Islamic Republic.

Reuters: Japan’s lower house is set to pass a bill on Friday to provide government guarantees on insurance for Iranian crude cargoes, making it the first of Iran’s big Asian buyers to find a way to keep the oil flowing in the face of tough new EU sanctions.

AP: Proposals from both Iran and the group of six world powers will be on the table for nuclear talks in Moscow next week, not just the West’s demand to halt Iran’s highest level uranium enrichment, Iran’s top negotiator said Wednesday.

AFP: The United States called Wednesday for a united front with China against Iran’s nuclear program as it debates whether to slap sanctions on the Asian power over oil purchases from the Islamic republic.

AP: OPEC ministers are coming into a meeting deeply divided over how much crude to pump, with Saudi Arabia keen to keep a lid on prices, rival Iran pushing to cut production and Iraq expected to back Iran, its longtime foe under Saddam Hussein.