AFP: US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said he met Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Tuesday for talks on Iraq, Iran and the Arab-Israeli peace process, on the first leg of a Middle East tour.

AFP: British Prime Minister Tony Blair lamented Tuesday the lack of a reasonable dialogue with Iran, reiterating London’s readiness for a “different relationship” despite Tehran’s hardline stance.

AFP: Coalition forces in Afghanistan have intercepted Iranian-made mortars and explosives that were destined for the Taliban, the top US military chief said Tuesday.

Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Apr. 17 – A petition with the signatures of 138 members of Iran’s hardline-dominated Majlis, or Parliament, calling for the Education Minister to be summoned was handed to Majlis Speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel on Tuesday.

Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Apr. 17 – Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki arrived in Ankara on Tuesday where he will hold talks with Turkish officials on Iran-Turkey bilateral relations, state radio reported.

Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Apr. 17 – A senior Iranian prison official has been appointed the warden of Iran’s most notorious prison Evin.

AFP: Iran has dismissed claims that the US embassy in Tehran will be sold to pay for damages awarded to an Iranian over his capture 15 years ago by US agents, the media reported on Monday.