AP: A little-known company based in Belgium that facilitates many of the world’s financial transactions has become central to the West’s plan to prevent Iran from selling oil and other goods to raise money to fund its nuclear ambitions.

AFP: Hackers calling themselves the ‘Iranian Cyber Army’ have attacked the website of mainly Muslim neighbour Azerbaijan’s state television station, the communications ministry said on Thursday.

Reuters: Japan may cut Iranian crude oil imports by a more-than-expected 20 percent as it seeks a waiver from U.S. sanctions, a newspaper reported on Thursday, a move which would spare its banks from a major blow but could boost its already rising fuel import bill.

Bloomberg: Iran’s refusal to let United Nations experts investigate allegations of illicit nuclear activities at a military base doesn’t inspire confidence for a return to negotiations with the international community, U.S. officials and nuclear-proliferation specialists said.

AP: The tensions over Iran’s nuclear program have pitted the West against the world’s third-biggest oil exporter.

AP: Oil prices rose Wednesday on the expectation that world supplies could be squeezed further because of ongoing tensions with Iran.

Bloomberg: Oil rose to a nine-month high as officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency were denied access to an Iranian military base and said negotiations “couldn’t finalize a way forward.”

AFP: The White House expressed disappointment Wednesday that Iran had made no progress in its dealings with UN nuclear inspectors, branding the fruitless visit a “failure” on Tehran’s part.

Reuters: The presidents of Russia and Iran said on Wednesday the crisis in Syria must be resolved peacefully without foreign intervention, according to a Kremlin statement.