Reuters: European Union leaders called on Friday for more sanctions against Iran by the end of January, in an effort to increase pressure on Tehran over its nuclear programme.

Reuters: The family of a former FBI agent who vanished in Iran in 2007 has released a hostage video showing him alive and asking for help.

AP: Republicans and Democrats determined to look tough on Iran and avoid any election-year challenges to their pro-Israel bona fides are rebuffing Obama administration pleas to ease proposed sanctions on Iran’s Central Bank.

AFP: The US House of Representatives next week will vote on imposing tough new sanctions aimed at forcing Iran to freeze what the West charges is a nuclear weapons program, its leaders said Friday.

AFP: EU sanctions on Iran’s oil exports will hurt European refiners which rely on crude from the Islamic republic to help power ailing economies such as Greece, Italy and Spain, according to analysts.

Reuters: Japan on Friday toughened sanctions on Iran in response to mounting Western suspicions that Tehran plans to build nuclear weapons, following more severe, steps by the United States and the European Union.

AFP: Iran made a formal protest on Thursday over a US drone entering “deep” into its eastern airspace last week, and aired footage of what appeared to be the downed aircraft on state television.

AFP: US President Barack Obama on Thursday defended his policy on Iran amid fierce Republican criticism of his effort to halt the Islamic republic’s nuclear drive, saying Tehran is under the “toughest sanctions” ever.

AFP: The United States has doubts Iran will be able to make use of the highly sophisticated technology found in a stealth drone that crashed in Iran during a reconnaissance mission, a US official said Wednesday.