Nicosia, Oct 20: Reza Kasaizadeh, the new Head of the National Iranian Gas Export Company (NIGEC), has said that Iran’s three major gas projects - the Iran LNG, the Pars LNG and the Persian LNG - will be completed by the end of 2014.

Tehran - Leading reformists in Iran have urged former president Mohammad Khatami to run against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the presidential elections in June next year.

"We want Khatami to disregard his doubts, think positively and enter the political scene," former government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh told the Iranian ISNA news agency.

Other leading reformists, such as former vice-presidents Mohammad-Ali Abtahi and Majid Ansari as well as ex-interior minister Abdol-Vahed Mussavi-Lari, have urged Khatami to take the challenge.

Berlin - The German government wants to significantly toughen its sanctions against Iran by convincing banking, insurance and energy companies to break ties to that country, reports weekly magazine Der Spiegel.

The move would be part of Germany's continuing efforts to get Iran to stop its nuclear development programs.

New York - Austria, Iceland, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Turkey, and Uganda are competing for five seats on the UN Security Council in an election on Friday in the UN General Assembly.

The five council seats that will be vacated on December 31 are now occupied by Belgium, Indonesia, Italy, Panama and South Africa. Those countries are ending their two-year terms in the body that has authority on issues of peace and security around the world.

Tehran - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that the global market crisis was due to Western hegemonic policies.

"This (crisis) is the result of their (Western) hegemony and their violating policies beyond their own borders," Ahmadinejad said in a speech in the Caspian Sea city Rasht in northern Iran.

He was referring to the Western military presence in Iraq, and support for Israel in the dispute with the Palestinians.

Sydney - Australia on Wednesday placed further sanctions on Iran but dropped plans to hold President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to account for his anti-Semitic pronouncements.

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said Canberra was "deeply concerned" at Iran's refusal to suspend uranium enrichment and other activities as required by multiple UN Security Council resolutions.

Australia has repeatedly urged Iran to cooperate with inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to show it is only using uranium for peaceful purposes.

Smith announced financial sanctions on individuals and organizations deemed essential Iran's nuclear and missile programmes.