Reuters: South Korea will buy around 10 percent of its crude from Iran in 2012, up slightly from last year, as the country seeks a waiver from toughened U.S. sanctions that could disrupt Iranian oil shipments.

AP: Officials say Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu will visit Iran for talks on the country’s nuclear program and developments in Iraq and Syria.

Reuters: A Republican senator on Tuesday questioned President Barack Obama’s commitment to new sanctions on Iran’s central bank, noting the president had claimed the right to sidestep some of the requirements when he signed them into law last week.

AP: The Obama administration on Tuesday brushed aside Iran’s warning to keep U.S. aircraft carriers out of the Gulf, dismissing its threats as a consequence of hard-hitting American sanctions on the Iranian economy.

Reuters: European governments have agreed in principle to ban imports of Iranian oil, EU diplomats said Wednesday, dealing a potentially heavy blow to Tehran that crowns new Western economic sanctions imposing real pain just months before an Iranian election.

Reuters: The Massachusetts public employees pension fund has divested all of its stakes in companies with major ties to Iran’s energy industry, joining a campaign to pressure the country to stop developing nuclear weapons, state Treasurer Steve Grossman said on Tuesday.

Reuters: Kuwait protested on Tuesday against Iran’s intention to unilaterally develop a disputed offshore gas field in the Gulf unless an agreement is reached, Kuwait’s state news agency KUNA reported.

Reuters: Iran will take action if a U.S. aircraft carrier which left the area because of Iranian naval exercises returns to the Gulf, the state news agency quoted army chief Ataollah Salehi as saying on Tuesday.