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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.

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

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 »

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

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.

More here:
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.

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

AP

BY: Bill Gertz February 22, 2017 5:00 am

After a four-year hiatus, Iran recently resumed destructive cyber attacks against Saudi Arabia in what U.S. officials say is part of a long-term strategy by Tehran to takeover the oil-rich kingdom and regional U.S. ally.

Late last month, the Saudi government warned in a notice to telecommunications companies that an Iranian-origin malicious software called Shamoon had resurfaced in cyber attacks against some 15 Saudi organizations, including government networks.

The Shamoon malware was last detected in the 2012 cyber attack against the major Saudi state oil producer Aramco. That cyber attack damaged or destroyed some 30,000 computers and was considered one of the more destructive state-linked cyber attacks to date.

A State Department security report issued Feb. 10 stated that the 2012 attack destroyed over three-fourths of Aramco's computers, and that the damagetook five months to mitigate at "an extreme cost."

Shamoon also was used in Iranian cyber attacks against RasGas, a liquified natural gas company located in neighboring Qatar.

A new version of the malware, Shamoon 2, was linked to the recent cyber attack, which took place in November. Security officials linked that attackto a Middle East hacker group known as Greenbug that used fraudulent emails in phishing scams to acquire login credentials for Saudi networks.

A cyber security expert familiar with details of the latest Saudi cyber attack who spoke on condition of anonymity said the November incident was Iranian-directed and linked to two hacker groups in Iran known as "Cadelle and Chafer in cyber security circles.

The new Shamoon 2 "is meant to do damage," the expert said, noting that the recent cyber attack was not as effective as the earlier one in 2012.

Once inside compromised computer networks, the Iranian hackers were able to steal large amounts of data. They then destroyed the computers using a digital wiping tool that removes all data from the system. The hacked computers were left with a screen image.

In the 2012 Saudi Aramco attack, the Iranians left an image of a burning American flag image. After the November cyber attack, the hackers left a screen imageof a dead Syrian refugee boy.

The Saudis received U.S. government cyber security and technology training after the 2012 attack.No Shamoon malware was detected until the new variant, Shamoon 2, appeared in November. The U.S. government believes the same Iranian hackers carried out both attacks.

A National Security Agency document from 2013 warned that Iranian government cyber attacks are part of an expansion of Iranian influence in the Middle East. "NSA has seen Iran further extending its influence across the Middle East over the last year," states thetop secret memo, which was disclosed by renegade contractor Edward Snowden.

NSA believed Iran's 2012 cyber attack was carried out in retaliation for the earlier U.S. cyber attacks against Iranian nuclear facilities. Those attacks causednuclear centrifuges to self-destruct using an industrial control software known as Stuxnet.

"NSA expects Iran will continue this series of attacks, which it views as successful, while striving for increased effectiveness by adapting its tactics and techniques to circumvent victim [computer network] mitigation attempts," the NSA said.

The Iranian cyber attacks are one element of a larger Iranian strategy to subvert and ultimately take overSaudi Arabia, the location of Islam's holy sites, according to U.S. officials.

Predominantly Shiite Iran and predominantly Sunni Saudi Arabia are bitter rivals that vie for influence over the world's Muslims.

The State Department report, "Devastating Cyber Attack Program Returns to Saudi Arabia," warned that U.S. companies operating in the kingdom could be the next targets of Iranian cyber attacks.

"The increased tensions and unpredictable future between Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the U.S. raises the potential for U.S. organizations in the region to be future targets for a cyberattack, either with Shamoon or similar malware tuned for destruction rather than corporate espionage or theft," the report said.

In addition to cyber attacks, Iran seeksto subvert Saudi Arabia through a proxy war in Yemen.

Tehran is backing Houthi rebels against the pro-Saudi government of Yemen. The Houthis took over the capital of Sanaa in 2014. Oneyear later, a Saudi-led coalition of nine regional states intervened in the conflict.

Concerned by large numbers of civilian casualties in the conflict, the Obama administration last year delayed delivery to Saudi Arabia of an arms sale package for large numbers of precision-guided bomb kits. The kits turn gravity bombs into precision-guided weapons that can be directedto targets.

U.S. officials say the Trump administration is ready to lift the ban on the the bomb kits to theregional allybecause it is no longer concerned by the Obama administration's goal ofwarmer relations with Tehran.

Under Obama, then-Secretary of State John Kerry tried to negotiate a settlement of the Yemen conflict in a deal with the Houthis. Critics said the dealwould have been advantageous to Iran and harmful to the Saudis.

Iran has dispatched a large number of Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps fighters to Yemen, along with pro-Iranian militia members from Iraq, in a bid to help the Houthis.

Additionally, U.S. officials say Iran ishelping the Houthis plant sea mines off the coast of Yemen near the strategic Red Sea choke point known as the Bab-el-Mandeba strategic shipping lane between the Indian Ocean, Red Sea, and Suez Canal.

Controlling the Bab-el-Mandeb is said to be a key element of the Iranian strategy of targeting Saudi Arabia. Once in control of the Bab-el-Mandeb, the Iranians could use their control of the region's other strategic chokepoint, the Strait of Hormuz, to exert political leverage throughout the region.

A commercial maritime security notice was sent recently to shipping companies warning that vessels transiting the region should check with the U.S. Navy aboutthe threat of sea mines.

A Saudi warship was recently attacked in waters near Yemen by what is now believed to have been a small, remotely pilotedboat loaded with explosives.

The guided missile destroyer USS Cole was recently dispatched to the area following the rebel attack on the Saudi ship.

Read the rest here:
Iran Renews Destructive Cyber Attacks on Saudi Arabia - Washington Free Beacon