Daily look at Iran�s late-breaking news and upcoming events:
 
Iran ready to give U.S. �slap in the face�: commander
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.

 
Iran to start crude oil export to Russia soon
Iran will begin exporting 100,000b/d of crude oil to Russia within the next two week, Iranian Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh said.

 

IRGC ground force airborne unit takes action in drill
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Force deployed its airborne troops to Iran�s eastern regions on Wednesday as part of a military drill that is in progress for the third day.

 


Pres. Rouhani: Iran to stand by Syrian people
President Hassan Rouhani said Iran�s support of the Syrian nation will continue until final victory if achieved.The Iranian President made the remarks at a meeting on Wednesday morning in Tehran with Parliament Speaker of the People�s Assembly of the Syrian Arab Republic Ms. Hadiyeh Khalaf Abbas.

 
Regional countries must boost anti-terror cooperation: Pakistan FM
Pakistani Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz says regional countries must strengthen their cooperation in the campaign against terrorism.

Pres. Rouhani: Iran to continue backing Palestine despite hurdles
President Hassan Rouhani while noting the high price Iranian people have so far paid for their support of Palestine against Israeli occupation, said the nation is still determined to continue its unsparing support.

 
Int�l Conference on Palestinian Intifada in Tehran starts second day
The second day of the 6th International Conference in Support of Palestinian Intifada kicked off in the presence of Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani here on Wednesday.

 

Iran delegation off to Saudi Arabia: Hajj official
Caretaker of Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization Hamid Mohammadi announced that an Iranian delegation left here for Riyadh late on Tuesday to hold talks with the Saudi officials on the Hajj issues.


 
Iran�s Velayati shrugs off �Unwise� remarks by Saudi FM
Head of the Strategic Research Center of Iran�s Expediency Council Ali Akbar Velayati denounced recent remarks against the Islamic Republic by the Saudi foreign minister at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) as �baseless and unwise�.

 

Iran-EU trade up 78% in 2016: Eurostat
The European Union�s trade with Iran amounted to �13.7 billion in 2016, a 78 percent rise compared to 2015, based on the latest figures released by the European Union�s statistics agency Eurostat.