AFP: Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak will fly to Washington next week for talks with his counterpart Robert Gates and senior officials set to focus on Iran's nuclear ambitions, an official said.

Reuters: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attacked the presence of foreign forces in the region at a summit with his Afghan and Pakistani counterparts on Sunday aimed at tackling terrorism and other security problems.

AFP: Iran's former Revolutionary Guards chief Mohsen Rezai warned on Sunday he could stop Israel with "one strike" and said it would not dare to threaten the Islamic republic if he is elected president.

Reuters: Iran should set up a bank to help channel investment to its energy industry, Oil Minister Gholamhossein Nozari was quoted as saying on Sunday.

AFP: US social networking site Facebook on Saturday said it had received reports its wesbite had been blocked in Iran, lamenting the apparent government bar as "a shame."

AP: Italy's foreign minister said Saturday he is sending a representative to Tehran to sound out the possibility of a meeting with Iranian officials after he canceled a visit earlier this week.

AFP: The United Arab Emirates on Saturday renewed calls for Iran to start talks over three disputed islands held by Tehran and whose status has marred relations between the Gulf neighbours for decades.

The Times: Dying for a drink? Men and mules do so all the time in the hills along the Iran-Iraq frontier east of Bashmagh.