AP: Iranian news media say a lawmaker has physically assaulted a confidant of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, alleging the official was trying to pay legislators not to vote for the impeachment of the interior minister.

Reuters: Iran's supreme leader said on Wednesday Iranian hatred of the United States ran deep, remarks analysts said signaled an end to any debate about closer links between them days before the U.S. presidential election.

Reuters: Iran's main shipping firm has told its vessels to install barbed wire on their decks and put crew on watch against pirates in the Gulf of Aden, it said on Wednesday.

New York Times: Iran announced Tuesday that it had opened a naval base in the Gulf of Oman to counter any hostile forces, in what was clearly an allusion to American Navy vessels patrolling nearby.

The Guardian: Iran yesterday signalled its intention to extend its military presence in the world's most important oil conduit, opening a new naval base at the mouth of the Persian Gulf and adding weight to its threats to choke off oil supplies, if the Islamic Republic came under attack.

AP: Illegal exports of weapons, military equipment and national security-related technology to potentially adversarial nations are on the rise, the Justice Department reported Tuesday.

BBC: Iran has opened new naval facilities east of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow entrance to the Gulf which is key to oil supplies, state media say.