Reuters: The Syrian government is sending members of its irregular militias for guerrilla combat training at a secret base in Iran, in a move to bolster its armed forces drained by two years of fighting and defections, fighters and activists said.

Bloomberg: India will set up an insurance fund worth 20 billion rupees ($364 million) to cover refiners buying crude from Iran, a move that may help them continue purchasing from the Persian Gulf state.

AFP: Iran heads into nuclear talks with world powers this week in an apparently uncompromising mood, demanding Thursday the immediate recognition of its right to enrich uranium and downplaying the chances of direct talks with the United States.

New York Times: With only three months to go in his second and last presidential term, he has raised a series of controversies intended, experts say, to reshape his public image and secure the support of dissatisfied urban Iranians for his handpicked successor, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei.

AP: Several prominent Germans urged the U.S. and Europe on Wednesday to speed the resettlement of about 3,100 members of an Iranian opposition group living in Iraq whose lives are said to be at risk.