Wall Street Journal: Iran is opening a public debate over its approach toward Syria’s crisis, with some diplomats publicly questioning whether Tehran should continue supporting Syria’s regime.

AFP: Canada on Wednesday warned Iran’s mission in Ottawa against recruiting expatriates, after reports the embassy was doing so under the guise of cultural outreach programs.

AFP: Iran is “100 times stronger” today than 30 years ago despite the multitude of Western sanctions imposed since the 1979 Islamic revolution, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday.

Reuters: International mediator Kofi Annan said on Wednesday Iran and Iraq supported a plan for a political transition in Damascus led by Syria and that they would use their influence to try to push all parties in that direction.

AP: South Africa’s government says it is investigating allegations its former envoy to Iran accepted payments from a South African cell phone company.

Reuters: Iran is shipping oil to China, its top buyer, despite a row over freight terms, and Japan has taken steps to resume imports in August as Tehran finds ways to get around Western sanctions on ship insurance for its drastically reduced shipments.

Bloomberg: Wealthy Iranians in Turkey are collecting gold on behalf of the Iranian central bank and exporting it to Iran, Turkey’s Zaman newspaper reported.

CNN: International Kofi Annan will brief the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday after a flurry of diplomatic efforts to end 16 months of carnage in Syria.