Prior to leaving Tehran for the United Arab Emirates and Oman, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad expressed the hope that he could take a long stride towards enhancement of security in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman during his trip.

Iran will find other ways to use gas it planned to sell to UAE private energy company Crescent Petroleum if a long-running price dispute is not resolved, the Iranian oil minister was quoted yesterday as saying.

Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) strongly rejected reports about its defection from Iran.