AP: Army Gen. David Petraeus, the four-star general who led troops in Iraq for the past year, will be nominated by President Bush to be the next commander of U.S. Central Command, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday.
Petraeus picked to lead Mideast command
Swiss freeze assets of 12 more Iranian firms
AFP: Switzerland said on Wednesday it had frozen the assets of a further 12 Iranian companies in accordance with new United Nations sanctions aimed at stopping Tehran's alleged nuclear programme.
Iran: Ex-police chief attempts suicide in prison
AKI: Former Tehran police chief, Reza Zarei, who was arrested in a brothel in March, has attempted suicide in prison.
Petraeus to head US Middle East forces
AFP: General David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, has been named to head US forces in the Middle East, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday.
Minister blames Ahmadinejad’s policies for economic woes
AP: Iran's outgoing economy minister blames President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's policies for high inflation and growing economic hardships, according to comments published in Iranian newspapers Wednesday.
MTN subscribers climb 11% on growth in Iran unit
Bloomberg: MTN Group Ltd., Africa's largest mobile-phone company, reported an 11 percent increase in subscribers in the first quarter, helped by gains in Iran.
Iran shipping hit by nuclear sanctions: report
AFP: Iran's leading shipping company has said US sanctions against Tehran over its controversial nuclear programme have hurt the industry, the Aftab Yazd newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Iran tells Russia to end Azeri nuclear cargo delay
Reuters: An Iranian official said Russia was responsible for timely delivery of equipment stopped by Azerbaijan when in transit to Iran's first nuclear power plant, a news agency said on Wednesday.
Tehran to cooperate with IAEA over alleged weaponisation studies
AFP: The UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Wednesday it had reached an agreement with Iran to examine allegations that Tehran has studied how to design nuclear weapons.
India rejects US advice to pressure Iran
AP: India tartly dismissed American advice that it press Iran to give up its nuclear program, saying it does not need "any guidance" on foreign relations.
