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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Japan 'Very Concerned' over Iran Tension |
| 2012-01-11 |
| Japan's foreign minister, on a Gulf tour to seek assurances over oil supplies, said Tuesday that Tokyo was "very concerned" by escalating tensions with Iran and called for a diplomatic solution. The United Arab Emirates (UAE), meanwhile, gave assurances it would make up for a shortfall in oil supplies to Japan. "Japan is very concerned about the latest developments," Koichiro Gemba said of the West's standoff with Tehran, which has threatened to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz if oil sanctions are imposed over its nuclear program. "We believe that we should solve the problem diplomatically and peacefully. That is why dialogue with Iran should continue," the Japanese foreign minister told news hounds in Abu Dhabi through an Arabic-language interpreter. "Iran should not incite troubles, and nothing should affect security in the Strait of Hormuz," he said. His UAE counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan, said closing the Strait of Hormuz was not in anyone's interest, including Iran, but pointed to later statements from Tehran denying plans to bloc the waterway. "It is not in the interest of any side, be it member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Iran, the international community and energy prices, to talk about closing international passages, especially Hormuz," he said. "We heard different statements from Iran. We heard threats and then we heard denials. I hope that this tone (the denials) will prevail in the region," he added. Gemba said he asked the UAE for assurances to increase oil supplies to meet Japan's needs, as fears rise of sanctions on Tehran. "We have asked for an increase in oil supplies that Japan needs," he told news hounds when asked if he sought assurances from the UAE to help cover shortages resulting from a possible embargo on Iranian exports. Thirty percent of Japan's oil supplies come from Soddy Arabia, with another 20 percent coming from the Emirates, 10 percent from Qatar and nine percent from Iran. The minister has already made stops in Soddy Arabia and Qatar where he raised the same concerns. Sheikh Abdullah said his country was willing to help meet Tokyo's needs in the event of energy shortfalls. "As the UAE has the ability to provide more energy resources, it has taken the request positively. Japan will have the priority," he said. Japan's needs for oil and gas have also increased after a massive earthquake and tsunami caused devastation and sparked a nuclear power crisis last March. The vast bulk of Japan's 54 nuclear reactors are now shut down, amid public distrust of the technology and calls for increased safety. Speaking at a Friday news conference, Japan's industry minister, Yukio Edano, said the world's third biggest economy was preparing for a potential Iranian oil embargo "by taking every possibility into consideration." Soddy Arabia is seen as the only oil exporter capable of boosting production sufficiently to make up for a crunch in the global oil market. The president of JX Nippon Oil & Energy, Japan's biggest petroleum refiner, expressed confidence in the ability of the world's largest oil exporter to raise output, in a recent interview. "I think we can make do if we have months to spare," Yasushi Kimura told SankeiBiz digital news. "We have sounded out Soddy Arabia on what can be done" if the ban on Iran is implemented. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #5 You probably ran afoul of antispam routines. Try again. If you can't, I'll call a waahmbulance. |
| Posted by: badanov 2012-01-11 23:37 |
| #4 Uh-Oh...I see that my previous (2) comments have been removed. Proly due to my being a pest (anti-nazi) and a freedom-loving Gadfly. I certainly can't blame you all for that. All the Best in 2012!! |
| Posted by: Slomp Oppressor of the Faeries1490 2012-01-11 23:32 |
| #3 JM, Your assessment sounds awfully grim; but "spot-on" as usual. I'd like to suggest that the time is right to deploy our LBFMs in PI to the ME for population pacification and goat-herder eradication...Please provide MSM "thoughts". |
| Posted by: Slomp Oppressor of the Faeries1490 2012-01-11 23:21 |
| #2 Japan's foreign minister, on a Gulf tour to seek assurances over oil supplies Which is why, during the Iran-Iraq war, Japan provided some 'assistance' in the form of transporting Iranian oil in Japanese flagged vessels (much like the US did with Kuwait, except without military escort). |
| Posted by: Pappy 2012-01-11 14:58 |
| #1 Some Perts have argued that iff Japan can recover well from the 03/11 = Fukushima/Tohoku disaster, LT SINO-NIPPON ECON COOPERATION [iff not Econ Union = integration] COULD BE THE MOST POTENT THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN??? * IIRC LUCIANNE > US NAVY PREPARES FOR CHINESE POWER GRAB IN [South China Seas = SE Asian] SHIPPING. * WORLD MIL FORUM > SINGAPORE'S "UNITED ZAOBAO" NEWS: NEW US ASIA-PACIFIC STRATEGY INDIRECTLY EMPHASIZES "STRONG" OR REARMED JAPAN + SOUTH KOREA TO COUNTER CHINA IN WAKE OF US ECONOMIC WOES. More from WMF ... * SAME > SCHIOLARS: NEW US DEFENSE STRATEGY IS EQUIVALENT TO "DECLARATION OF WAR" AGZ CHINA + IRAN. * SAME > DPRK KCNA: "REUNIFICATION OF THE MOTHERLAND" [inter-Korean = Peninsula] IS MOST IMPORTANT TASK FOR NORTH KOREAN PEOPLE + NEW KIM JONG-UN REGIME. * SAME > RUSSIAN ANALYSTS: IRRESPONSIBLE US MONETARY + SPENDING POLCIES HAVE LED TO DANGEROUSLY MASSIVE NATIONAL DEBT + ULTIMATELY US INTERNATIONAL AGGRESSIONISM/IMPERIALISM, US HAS ALREADY STARTED COVERT OR SHADOW WAR AGAINST RUSSIA + CHINA. * SAME > BURMA, NOT CENTRAL ASIA OR SIBERIA OR HIMALAYAS, IS THE KEY TO ARRANGING [post-US]FUTURE CHINA? How the future post-US Chinese Global Superpower may Stretch-n-flex, Depth-n-Breadth its empiric reach. * SAME > US WILL NO LONGER ABLE TO WAGE [simultaneous] IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN-STYLE WARS + SIMILAR WITHIN TEN YEARS, as per new US Defense Strategy. US SELF-DECLINES IN MILITARY CAPABILITY + FOCII FROM BEING ABLE TO FIGHT A MAJOR TWO-OCEAN WAR TO ONLY ONE LIMITED REGIONAL WAR. * SAME > COLD WAR-ERA USSR ONCE SECRETLY PLANNED + CONTRUCTED MASSIVE, MISSLE-ARMED "SOLDIER/ CARGO TRANSPORT" SUBMARINES TO ATTACK US TERRITORY. Soviet "717" + related Projects, which was only stopped/cancelled after the US made the final decision to build + deploy the post-Poseidon TRIDENT FBM Subs - the Soviets decided to counter the new USN TRIDENTS wid the SMALLER-SCALE "TYPHOON" CLASS FBMS of "Hunt for Red October" fame. In theory, these "717", etc. Soviet transport subs could carry up to 800 troops [Spetnatz] + few dozen Armored-Infantry Fighting Vehicles + other support equipment, or in alternate CAS combat Helos + TacAir, in addition to standard Soviet Navy torpedoes, mines + a number of Nuke-capable SLBMS. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2012-01-11 00:49 |