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WSJ: "Ingersoll-Rand PLC has prohibited its non-U.S. subsidiaries from selling products to customers in Iran, the industrial-equipment maker said in a letter to a lobbyist group.  The decision follows similar announcements by other companies, including Caterpillar Inc., Huntsman Corp., General Electric Co. and German conglomerate Siemens AG. Ingersoll-Rand and the other companies have said their sales into Iran through subsidiaries were legal and complied with U.S. sanctions that prohibit certain American exports to the country." http://bit.ly/dn413c
 
WSJ: "Royal Dutch Shell PLC said Wednesday it is no longer selling gasoline to Iran, the latest oil company to make such a move during threats of tougher sanctions against the Islamic republic." http://bit.ly/a4VVZf
 
AP: "Taking aim at the U.S., Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that it's the United States that is playing a 'double game' in Afghanistan, fighting terrorists it once supported." http://bit.ly/98DXVG

Nuclear Program

Reuters: "Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to discuss efforts to put pressure on Iran, stabilize Yemen and to urge the Saudis to engage with Iraq ahead of the U.S. withdrawal." http://nyti.ms/9ekMxJ

Human Rights

AP: "The families of three Americans detained in Iran for months say their loved ones have been allowed to call home for the first time.  The families said in a statement Wednesday that they received the calls Tuesday. The three reported being well. The families called the conversations 'a tremendous relief.'" http://nyti.ms/dAFjXK
 
WP: "Ever since the disputed victory of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the June elections led to wide-scale protests, Iran's leaders have been cracking down on the tech-savvy opposition movement with the Revolutionary Guard and police blocking millions of foreign and domestic Web sites, including some Google services, CNN and the BBC." http://bit.ly/aimtGQ

Domestic Politics

AP: "Iran's conservative-dominated parliament has slashed much of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's proposed energy and food subsidy cuts, intensifying a battle over legislation that has the potential of stoking more unrest in the country." http://bit.ly/dhIHqG

Foreign Affairs
 
WSJ: "Israel's oldest civil servant, 83-year-old Ministry of Defense adviser Uri Lubrani, has spent his career defying conventional wisdom on Iran.  Today, Israel's political and military establishment appears to be tilting toward one of his long-ignored views: Israeli support for Iran's opposition movement-and not a military strike-is the best way to combat the regime in Tehran." http://bit.ly/aScLIA

Opinion