Washington Post: Worried that U.S. troops could stay in Afghanistan beyond 2014, Iran is mounting an aggressive campaign to fuel anti-American sentiment here and convince Afghan leaders that a robust, long-term security partnership with Washington would be counterproductive, Afghan officials and analysts say.

Reuters: Japan’s biggest refiner JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corp is talking with top exporter Saudi Arabia and other oil producers to source crude to replace any disruption to its imports from Iran, the company’s president said on Thursday.

AP: Officials from the 27 countries that make up the European Union are beginning Thursday the process of trying to thrash out an agreement on banning the purchase of Iranian oil in the hope of choking off funding for the country’s nuclear program.

Bloomberg: South Korea’s government is closely monitoring crude imports from Iran amid concern that new U.S. sanctions against the Middle East country may cause a surge in global and local oil prices.

Bloomberg: The U.K. may take military action against Iran if it carries out its threat to block the Strait of Hormuz, Defense Secretary Philip Hammond will warn in a speech in Washington today.

Reuters: Japan is weighing various ways of securing a waiver on new U.S. sanctions against Iran, with reducing Iranian oil imports and dealings with its central bank possible options, government sources said on Thursday.

Reuters: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd said on Wednesday that calls by six U.S. lawmakers to investigate whether the giant Chinese telecommunications equipment maker has violated a sanctions law by supplying sensitive technology to Iran were based on inaccurate media reports.

AFP: Iran on Wednesday renewed its warning to America against keeping a US navy presence in the oil-rich Gulf, underlining a threat that Washington has dismissed as a sign of “weakness” from Tehran.