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DUBAI The United States should expect a "strong slap in the face" if it underestimates Iran's defensive capabilities, a commander of the elite Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday, as Tehran concluded war games.

Since taking office last month, U.S. President Donald Trump has pledged to get tough with Iran, warning the Islamic Republic after its ballistic missile test on Jan. 29 that it was playing with fire and all U.S. options were on the table.

"The enemy should not be mistaken in its assessments, and it will receive a strong slap in the face if it does make such a mistake," said General Mohammad Pakpour, head of the Guards ground forces, quoted by the Guards' website Sepahnews.

On Wednesday, the Revolutionary Guards concluded three days of exercises with rockets, artillery, tanks and helicopters, weeks after Trump warned that he had put Tehran "on notice" over the missile launch.

"The message of these exercises ... for world arrogance is not to do anything stupid," said Pakpour, quoted by the semi-official news agency Tasnim.

"Everyone could see today what power we have on the ground." The Guards said they test-fired "advanced rockets" and used drones in the three-day exercises which were held in central and eastern Iran.

As tensions also mounted with Israel, a military analyst at Tasnim said that Iran-allied Hezbollah could use Iranian made Fateh 110 missiles to attack the Israeli nuclear reactor at Dimona from inside Lebanon.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said last Thursday that his group, which played a major role in ending Israel's occupation of Lebanon, could strike Dimona.

"Since Lebanon's Hezbollah is one of the chief holders of the Fateh 110, this missile is one of main alternatives for targeting the Dimona installations," Hossein Dalirian said in a commentary carried by Tasnim.

Iran says its missile program is defensive and not linked to its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. During the U.S. election race, Trump branded the accord "the worst deal ever negotiated", telling voters he would either rip it up or seek a better agreement.

(Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Sami Aboudi and Alison Williams)

LONDON/CAIRO An Islamic State suicide bomber from Britain who blew himself up in an attack on Iraqi forces this week had been given compensation for his detention in the Guantanamo Bay military prison, Western security sources said on Wednesday.

BEIRUT The Syrian army and its allies took a small district on the outskirts of Aleppo from rebels on Wednesday, a war monitor and a military media unit run by Damascus ally Hezbollah said.

BIELEFELD/BERLIN, Germany His only experience of governing in Germany is as a town mayor. She is Europe's most powerful leader. Yet Martin Schulz wants to end Angela Merkel's 11-year run as chancellor and fundamentally shift Germany's role in Europe. He might just pull it off.

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Iran ready to give US 'slap in the face': commander - Reuters

Forbes

President Trump, Don't Walk Away From The Iran Deal. Not Yet Forbes The Iran nuclear deal is a controversial agreement, which is consequential for international security and the future of nuclear weapons proliferation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on 60 Minutes that he has at least five ideas as to ... Preparing for war? Iran's defiant 'advanced missile' test warning snub to TrumpExpress.co.uk The rising risk of showdown between Trump and IranBBC News Warshal: Are we facing a war with Iran?Sun Sentinel The Times of Israel all 20 news articles »

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President Trump, Don't Walk Away From The Iran Deal. Not Yet - Forbes

To most observers, nothing stood out about DorsaDerakhshani last month when she competed at theTradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival. The 18-year-old female grand masterfaredfine on the board, twice using the Four Knights defense, and looked like any other teenager you might see in the British territory that borders southern Spain.

But to the head of the Iranian Chess Federation, Derakhshani practically committed an act of treason.

Mehrdad Pahlevanzadeh didnt have a problem withDerakhshanis play, but her headwear.Derakhshani wore a simple headband in her long hair, instead of a hijab, Irans traditional headscarf, which became a compulsory accessory for women after the 1979 revolution. As a result,Pahlevanzadeh announced on Monday that Derakhshani would be kicked off the national team.

Derakhshanis younger brotherBorna, 15, who also entered the tournament, was also kicked off the team. His offense was agreeing to playan Israeli opponent, a strict no-no in the country that doesnt recognize Israel as a state.

Unfortunately, what shouldnt have happened has happened, Pahlevanzadeh told the semiofficial Fars News Agency on Monday (via Radio Free Europe). Our national interests have priority over everything.

As a first step, these two will be denied entry to all tournaments taking place in Iran, he continued, And, in the name of Iran, they will no longer be allowed the opportunity to be present on the national team.

Neither sibling has commented publicly on the news.

That the two young chess masters received such a harsh punishment is not a surprise. Sports in Iran and other parts of the Middle East have long been affected by the regions strict cultural norms and precarious political stance.

Lastyear, American chess masterNazi Paikidze did not compete in the chess world championships in Iran because of the countrys requirement that she don a hijab.

[I will NOT wear a hijab: U.S. chess star refuses to attend world championships in Iran]

Some consider a hijab part of culture, Paikidze said in an Instagram post announcing herdecision. But, I know that a lot of Iranian women are bravely protesting this forced lawdaily and risking a lot by doing so. Thatswhy I will NOT wear a hijab and support womens oppression.

The hijab made different headlines earlier in the year, however, when U.S. fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad becamethe first American to win a medal wearing the traditional headscarf.Muhammad earned a bronze in the team saber event alongside hijab-less athletes Monica Aksamit, Dagmara Wozniak and Mariel Zagunis.

[A fencing mask hid her hijab. Now, this U.S. Olympian wants to be heard, and seen]

I have to challenge this idea that in some way we dont belong because of our race or our religion, Muhammad, whose parents converted to Islam before Muhammed was born, said last year.

She added: Like within any religion, Muslims have conservatives, we have liberals, and we have everything in between. To paint all Muslims with one broad stroke can be frustrating.

This article was updated to correct an error about Ibtihaj Muhammads heritage.

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Teenage Iranian chess master banned from national team for refusing to wear a headscarf - Washington Post

The United States should expect a "strong slap in the face"if it underestimates Iran's defensive capabilities, a commander of Irans Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday, as Tehran concluded war games.

Chinahas nearly finished building almost two dozen structures on artificial islands in the South China Sea that appear designed to house long-range surface-to-air missiles, two U.S. officials told Reuters.

Swiss engineering group ABBwas hit by a $100 million "sophisticated criminal scheme" in its South Korean subsidiary. The alleged theft was limited to South Korea, where it employs around 800 people and generated sales of $525 million in 2015.

Britain's top court backed a government attempt to limit immigration by ruling on Wednesday that an income test for those who want to bring their non-European spouses to the UK is acceptable and does not infringe human rights.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeausaid Canada would continue to accept asylum seekers crossing illegally from the United States. The number of crossings has ticked up in recent weeks amid fears that the Trump administration would crack down on illegal immigrants.

Vehicles are seen partially submerged in flood water at William Street Park after heavy rains overflowed nearby Coyote Creek in San Jose, California, U.S., February 21, 2017. REUTERS/Stephen Lam

A growing number of Republican lawmakers are pushing for an investigation into the Trump administrations ties to Russia.

It would seem that Daniel Ramirez Medina is a textbook "dreamer" a 23-year-old man who came to this country as child and granted a work permit under the Obama administration. But Immigration and Customs Enforcement calls him a "self-admitted gang member," an accusation Ramirez "unequivocally denies." His arrest could make him the first person covered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to be detained under the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigrants.

That's how many days into the Trump administration there were before the first top level resignation. The person was Michael Flynn. The post was national security adviser. And the reason was that he discussed U.S. sanctions with the Russian ambassador to the United States before Trump took office this after promising otherwise to Vice President Mike Pence. Such contacts could run afoul of the Logan Act, which bans private citizens from engaging in foreign policy.

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Wednesday Morning Briefing: Iran ready to give US 'strong slap in the face' - Reuters

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Speaking at the Munich Security Conference last weekend, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused Iran of pursuing a sectarian policy agenda aimed at destabilizing the entire region. In particular, he charged Iran with exacerbating Sunni-Shiite tensions in Iraq and Syria, with the goal of making both into Shiite satellites of Iran.

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Turkey firmly opposes any division, whether religious or sectarian, Cavusoglu declared.

Reporting on Cavusoglus remarks, the Middle East Observer argues that Turkey hasthreemotivations for its larger-than-expected intervention in Syria. The diplomatically stated reason is to liberate cities near the Turkish border from ISIS. Theobvious but less loudly statedobjective is to prevent Syrian Kurds from occupying territory along the border and working with Kurdish separatists in Turkey. The third objective, little discussed until now, is to checkmate Irans drive to create a Shiite hegemony in the Middle East:

Syrian rebels supported by the Turkish Army are currently advancing southward, having pushed the Islamic State out of the towns of Jarablous, al-Rai and Dabiq near the Turkish border between August and October. They are nowat the gatesof the town of al-Bab, and the stage is set for confrontation. The strategically important city is held by the Islamic State but coveted by others: the United States-backed P.Y.D. closing in from the east, and the Syrian Army and Iranian-allied forces from the south.

Irans response to Cavusoglus accusations was swift and vehement.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemisnarled:

Those who have immature dreams about rebuilding an empire, and have taken meddlesome, illegal and illegitimate measures, supportedterrorist groups and causedbloodshed and escalationof tensions and instability in the region cannot evade liabilityfor such moves by playing a blame game. They should be aware that insecurity and instability in the region has no perpetrator other than them and some other paranoid states.

Iran, like the Syrian government, routinely accuses foreign powers of supporting terrorism if they supported any rebel faction in the Syrian civil war. Turkey has also been accused of indulging the Islamic State in the past, for example, by allowing ISIS recruits to pass across its border with Syria.

The Islamic Republic of Irans regional policy has always been and will be based on maintaining the stability and security of all countries and neighbors, Qassemi insisted.

Qassemi called Cavusoglus remarks counterproductive and reiterated the charge that Turkey cannot escape from the self-created whirlpool by accusing others.

More ominously, he warned Turkey not to test Irans patience.

Iran was so angry that it summoned the Turkish ambassador in Tehran on Monday to complain about Cavusoglus comments.We will be patient with their positions, but there is a certain cap to our patience, Qassemi repeated on Monday.

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Huseyin Muftuoglu fired back in a written statement:

It is neither acceptable nor comprehensible for a country, which does not even hesitate to push to the battlefield refugees seeking shelter from crises, accuses others of being responsible for regional tensions and instabilityIran should take constructive steps and review its regional policies instead of putting the blame on countries which criticize it.

TheTehran Timesnotes another point of contention between Iran and Turkey is the latters support for creating safe zones in Syria to accommodate civilian refugees. The idea is wrong and unacceptable to us as it adds to problems, Qassemi said on that point.

Of course, the Tehran Timessees the anti-Iran regional front led by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Israel as the obstacle to an immediate end to conflicts in the region.

Theres no question a regional front is shaping up against Iran. TheJerusalem Postreports that both Saudi and Israeli representatives at the Munich Security Conference warned about Irans threat to regional stability, just as Turkey did.

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman explicitly called for an alliance between Sunni states and Israel to thwart Tehrans ambitions, warning that their main destination at the end of the day is Saudi Arabia.

However, while Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir agreed that Iran was rampant in its support of terrorism and posed an existential threat to his country, hedeclined the opportunity to embrace an alliance with Israel publicly.

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Iran Warns Turkey Not to 'Test Iran's Patience' with Terrorism Accusations - Breitbart News