Washington Times: Prior to this month's disputed presidential election in Iran, the Obama administration sent a letter to the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling for an improvement in relations, according to interviews and the leader himself.

Reuters: South Korean builder GS Engineering & Construction Corp won a $500 million order to build a liquefied natural gas plant in Iran, company officials said on Wednesday.

Reuters: Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Wednesday he had no plans to attend a G8 meeting in Italy this week on the situation in Afghanistan, the ISNA news agency reported.

Washington Post: In the first days after Iran's disputed election, journalists covered it openly. Then, as government militias cracked down, they were told to stay in their offices. Now, many are being arrested

AP: Mir Hossein Mousavi is still nominally the guiding force of the fury over Iran's disputed election. But there are ample signs his rebel stature is being eroded by his hesitation to shift from campaigner to street agitator as his supporters challenge security forces.

Reuters: G8 hosts Italy will press foreign ministers meeting this week to jointly condemn rights abuses in Iran following its disputed presidential election, Italy's foreign minister told Reuters on Tuesday.

AFP: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton discussed the situation in Iran in telephone conversations with her French, British and German counterparts, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said.

Reuters: The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday approved a $48.8 billion spending bill for U.S. foreign policy and aid efforts, and tried to apply more pressure on Iran after the violence that followed its disputed election results.