AP: Iran says its powerful Revolutionary Guard is starting naval exercises near the Strait of Hormuz, the critical Gulf oil tanker route that Tehran has threatened to close in retaliation for tougher Western sanctions.

Miami Herald: Latin America rarely comes up as a major issue in U.S. presidential races, but this time it will: there are growing signs that Iran’s rising presence in the region will become a contentious election topic.

NYT: American and European officials said Friday that a mission by international nuclear inspectors to Tehran this week had failed to address their key concerns, indicating that Iran’s leaders believe they can resist pressure to open up the nation’s nuclear program.

Reuters: The organization that provides the world’s banks with a system for moving money said on Friday it is working with officials in the United States and European Union to address concerns about the services it provides to blacklisted Iranian banks.

AFP: Iran banned its citizens on Friday from travelling to Syria by road following the abduction of nearly 30 Iranians in the escalating uprising in its key Middle East ally, state media reported.

AP: Iran successfully launched a new small satellite into orbit early Friday, state media reported, the latest in the country’s ambitious space program that has raised concerns because if its possible military applications.

AFP: US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta believes there is a “strong possibility” that Israel will strike Iran’s nuclear installations this spring, the Washington Post said Thursday in an editorial.

AFP: A key US Senate panel adopted a sweeping package of tough new sanctions Thursday aimed at forcing Iran to freeze its suspect nuclear program amid escalating worries of a military confrontation.