OIL TANKER BLUES

Oil Tanker Blues . Is this a NeoCon
attempt to start a war between Iran
and the USA ?

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran on this Thursday for an attack on two tankers carrying “Japan-related cargo” in the Gulf of Oman, just hours after investigation into the incident began.  (1.1)>>Pompeo said Iran was directly responsible for the attack and it was not the fault of any of its proxies. He said this assessment was “based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a sophistication.”  In the latter case, four ships were allegedly hit in acts of “sabotage” near the emirate of Fujairah last month. The Pentagon blamed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for the apparent attack, while US National Security Advisor John Bolton declared on Wednesday that Iran was “almost certainly” responsible. No evidence was offered to support either of these statement  It makes no sense that Iran would attack a Japanese oil tanker while the Japanese Prime Minister was visiting Iran Not too long ago , at least a decade ago . The incident happened as  (1.2)>>Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is on a high-stakes visit in Tehran that sought to ease Iran-U.S. tensions, suggested the efforts had failed. Energy-poor Japan mostly relies on oil imports from the Middle East. Most of the shipments from the region pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and its safety is considered crucial for the country. Inevitably, similarities have been drawn between Thursday's attacks and events a month ago, when four ships were targeted near the Emirati port of Furajah. For that, officials in Washington and beyond pointed the finger at Iran. 

A Third Party Involvement ?

 The subject of a oil tanker exploding off Saudi Arabia or in the Persian Gulf was not new news. On October 6, 2002, the Limburg was carrying 397,000 barrels of crude oil from Iran to Malaysia, and was in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen to pick up another load of oil. It was registered under a French-flag and had been chartered by the Malaysian petrol firm, PETRONAS.While it was some distance offshore, an explosives-laden dinghy rammed the starboard side of the tanker and detonated. The vessel caught on fire and approximately 90,000 barrels of oil leaked into the Gulf of Aden. Although Yemeni officials initially claimed that the explosion was caused by an accident, later investigations found traces of TNT on the damaged ship. One crew member was killed, and 12 other crew members were injured. The damage to the tanker was around USD$45 million. EVERYONE in the news media seems to have forgotten this episode . Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack on the Jehad.net website, which has since been shut down. Osama bin Laden issued a statement, which read: “By exploding the oil tanker in Yemen, the holy warriors hit the umbilical cord and lifeline of the crusader community, reminding the enemy of the heavy cost of blood and the gravity of losses they will pay as a price for their continued aggression on our community and looting of our wealth.” So if you look at the whole Arabian peninsula, we have the same countries involved . In 2011 right after killing of Osama bin Laden , Al Qaeda views attacking the oil supply as a smart strategy for good reason: America’s reliance on oil for its transportation needs makes it a commodity that, if disrupted or made unaffordable, will cause the U.S. economy to collapse. The United States holds only 3 percent of conventional global oil reserves, yet uses 25 percent of the world’s daily production. It imports more than 66 percent of its oil, amounting to a daily purchase of 12 million barrels of imported oil. A significant rise in the price of oil due to a terrorist attack would deal al Qaeda’s main enemy a severe economic blow. Remember Oil was the reason that the United States entered the first two Gulf Wars , the invasion of Kuwait . This war continued right up to September 11th , 2001 . OIL makes me err with suspicion . YOU DON'T want to start a war in the Persian Gulf , such a war would cause oil prices to soar , it has economic ripples . Under any circumstances, these incidents would spark a crisis. But they occurred against a backdrop of escalating tensions and provocations between Washington and Tehran that began after the Trump administration withdrew from the Obama-era nuclear agreement with Iran in 2018. The BOTTOM LINE TO THIS , we are better off with PEACEFUL relations with Iran , not bombing them , or they bombing us , regardless who gives a F **** about the the Oil . Why are we still kissing the arise of the Saudis ? When our nation should be less reliant on Saudi oil , or any oil from the Middle- East . If truly Iran wants Peace , they extend the arm . America should reach out . →It never hurts to talk . There so many things that can be done first before any provocations that lead to war . This is an example . If the politicians were willing, Iran could offer great opportunities to U.S. corporate participation. Let's avoid War .

NOTES AND COMMENTS:

(1.1)>>Pompeo said Iran was directly responsible.  As the New York Times reported, it continues to be unclear who was behind last month's tanker attacks, despite Bolton's assertion at the time that Iran was "almost certainly" responsible.  Fearing that this was the first skirmish in a wider naval war, Iran began dispersing its mines, anti-ship cruise missiles and mobile ballistic missiles, lest they be struck by U.S. bombers. The Pentagon’s proposed response was a large-scale preemptive strike to neutralize the weapons before they posed a significant threat to U.S. forces, bases, allies and shipping. National security adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also urged Trump to hit Iran’s nuclear program at the same time (something Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during numerous calls to Trump, agitated for as well). Pompeo assured the president that he did not require additional congressional authorization beyond that provided after 9/11 to launch such an attack, given alleged links between Iran and al-Qaeda.   (1.2)>>Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo.  The alleged attacks, which set a Japanese-owned tanker ablaze, came as Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an attempt to reduce dangerous military tensions between the Iran and the U.S. As Common Dreams reported last month, the recent escalation between Iran and the U.S. was sparked by the Trump administration's belligerent threats and naval activity in the Persian Gulf.