Reuters: Malaysia's state-owned oil company Petronas [PETR.UL] is not a partner in multi-billion dollar gas deals signed this week between a Malaysian company and the Iranian government, a top company official said on Wednesday.

AP: Iran's hard-line president has acknowledged publicly for the first time that his country's economy is taking a severe beating from tumbling oil prices, a damaging admission by a leader whose popularity is eroding ahead of a tough re-election battle next year.

AFP: Aides to top US lawmakers expressed surprise on Wednesday after Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani said he was mulling talks with members of the US Congress after receiving letters from them.

Reuters: Iran said it began six days of naval war games on Tuesday in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic transport route for global oil supplies which the Islamic Republic has threatened to close if it is attacked.

AP: Iranian state TV is reporting that OPEC's Secretary-General says a daily oil production cut of between 1 million and 1.5 million barrels is likely in December.

Reuters: Iran has designed a radar-evading aircraft, the head of its air force said on Monday, the Islamic Republic's latest announcement of progress on military hardware amid persistent tension with the West over its nuclear plans.

The Guardian: For nearly 30 years its distinctive chequered pattern has been a sacrosanct symbol of Iran's Islamic revolution and an essential garment for its most committed adherents.

Wall Street Journal: Iran's top diplomat for nuclear issues said his government would welcome a broad dialogue with U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's administration, but offered few signs that Tehran is willing to slow its expanding nuclear program.

AFP: Crude producer Iran said on Sunday that the world oil market is oversupplied by two million barrels a day after OPEC decided to leave its oil output quota unchanged amid falling prices.