Reuters - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Defense Secretary Robert Gates traded barbs on Wednesday during briefly overlapping visits to Afghanistan, where Washington has troops at war but Tehran has growing clout.

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.

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.

AFP - Iran's outspoken president on Wednesday criticised Western troops as an obstacle to peace in Afghanistan and mocked the US defence secretary during their overlapping visits to the war-torn country.

AFP - US Defence Secretary Robert Gates flew into Riyadh on Wednesday for talks expected to focus on Iran's nuclear programme and Washington's push for tough sanctions against Tehran.