Los Angeles Times: The demand by Iyad Allawi comes as candidates in his coalition have been barred from taking office. Some believe that his rival, Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, is trying to erode his slate's lead. Iraq’s ex-premier calls for caretaker government, new elections
Los Angeles Times: The demand by Iyad Allawi comes as candidates in his coalition have been barred from taking office. Some believe that his rival, Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, is trying to erode his slate's lead. Desmond Tutu: release 3 US hikers held in Iran
AP: Retired South African archbishop Desmond Tutu is calling for the urgent release of three American hikers detained for nearly nine months in Iran. Clinton meets families of American hikers held in Iran
AFP: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met Wednesday for a second time with families of three American hikers being held in Iran since July 2009 and discussed ongoing effort to win their release, officials said. Iraqi PM’s moves to hold office threaten stability
AP: Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's efforts to retain power despite his failure in last month's elections threaten to undercut the democratic process that has been hailed as a key achievement of the U.S. invasion and occupation. France’s Sarkozy says time for Iran sanctions nearing
Reuters: French President Nicolas Sarkozy told his Chinese counterpart that the time for sanctions on Iran is nearing, citing an absence of constructive dialogue on Tehran's nuclear ambitions. Suntanned women to be arrested under Islamic dress code
Daily Telegraph: Iran has warned suntanned women and girls who looked like "walking mannequins" will be arrested as part of a new drive to enforce the Islamic dress code. Syria, Iran arm Hezbollah with improved missiles: US
AFP: US Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Tuesday accused Iran and Syria of arming Hezbollah with increasingly sophisticated rockets and missiles, saying the militia's arsenal undermined stability in the region. Gates “very satisfied” with planning on Iran
Reuters: Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Tuesday he was satisfied with the pace of U.S. planning to counter the threat posed by Iran's nuclear program, brushing aside Republican charges of a strategic vacuum. Clinton says U.S. seeks “tough” Iran sanctions
Reuters: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday the United States was seeking tough new sanctions to "sharpen the choices that Iran's leaders face" after weekend talks failed to make headway on Tehran's nuclear program. Iran stocks fuel to offset threat of sanctions
AFP: Iran has increased its stockpile of petrol by over one billion litres (220 million gallons) and plans to boost domestic production to offset possible fuel sanctions, an oil official said on Tuesday. 