AFP - Hardline Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissed on Wednesday the holding of direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, saying the negotiations will fail to resolve conflict in the Middle East.
AP - Iran on Tuesday sought to distance itself from harsh remarks by a hard-line newspaper, which called France's first lady a "prostitute" for condemning the stoning sentence against an Iranian woman convicted of adultery.
Reuters - Iranian paramilitaries surrounded the house of leading opposition figure Mehdi Karoubi Tuesday to prevent the cleric from participating in a religious ceremony, his website said.
AFP - A hardline Iranian daily stepped up its attack on France's first lady Carla Bruni, saying on Tuesday the "Italian prostitute" deserved to die for supporting an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning.