Reuters: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s top authority, said on Monday a U.S.-organized Middle East conference was “doomed to failure” and said it was being held to help Israel not the Palestinians.

AFP: Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi called on Sunday for further talks with Iran over its contested nuclear programme, in a speech in the United Arab Emirates.

The Guardian: A British arms dealer who illegally sold more than 100 automatic weapons in the Middle East was jailed for four years yesterday, HM Revenue and Customs has announced.

AFP: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad chided Saudi Arabia for taking part in a US-hosted Middle East peace meeting, after Arab participation in the event left Tehran isolated, media reported on Monday.

Reuters: Clerics in the Islamic Republic of Iran frown on the practice, but Nazanin says she has more customers than ever wanting their fortunes told.

The Guardian: When Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, wanted to create a forum to trumpet his populist political message without the interference of media and opposition catcalls he launched his own blog.

AFP: Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Sunday that Tehran hopes to resolve a decades-old dispute with neighbouring Kuwait over their maritime border before the end of the year.

Reuters: Oil company Total SA, battling to preserve a major gas investment in Iran amid French government pressure on businesses to trim their dealings there, is playing the energy security card by highlighting Iran’s huge gas reserves.