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.

AP: A former commander of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards has been appointed to oversee crucial parliamentary elections scheduled for March, state television reported Saturday.

Reuters: The adoption of tougher sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program could cost the German budget 2 billion euros, according to Finance Ministry estimates cited in Der Spiegel magazine on Saturday.

AFP: Tehran has no plans to block the Straits of Hormuz amid fears it could use the strategic oil passage as a weapon in its nuclear standoff with the West, Iran’s navy chief said on Saturday.