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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Iran tried to drive up oil prices by attacking tankers: Pompeo |
| 2019-05-31 |
| [Washington Examiner] Four oil tankers damaged earlier this month were targeted by Iran in an attempt to drive up international oil prices, according to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. "These were efforts by the Iranians to raise the price of crude oil throughout the world," Pompeo told reporters Thursday. That assessment previews a two-pronged effort to take place over the next week, driven chiefly by the top U.S. envoy and White House national security adviser John Bolton. Pompeo is headed to Europe for a diplomatic swing through two of the Western European countries that remain a party to the nuclear agreement with Iran that President Trump decided to exit last year. And Bolton, a former ambassador to the United Nations, is preparing to brief the Security Council on evidence of Iran’s responsibility for the heightened tensions in the Persian Gulf. "I don't think anybody who is familiar with the situation in the region, whether they have examined the evidence or not, has come to any conclusion other than that these attacks were carried out by Iran or their surrogates," Bolton told reporters in London earlier Thursday. Trump’s team and Iranian officials have been rattling sabers for weeks, as Trump’s team revoked the waivers that exempted a handful of nations from U.S. sanctions designed to put a severe crimp in Iran’s ability to sell oil abroad. Trump also renewed sanctions that tighten restrictions on Iran’s right to stockpile low-enriched uranium and heavy water, which prompted the regime to announce that it would no longer honor the caps set by the nuclear deal on its caches of the key nuclear materials. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #18 suffer Heh. A legitimate beef or tragedy here and there, but overall it's almost entirely self-inflicted. Projection's a helluva drug. And I possibly exaggerate just a little. |
| Posted by: Zenobia Floger6220 2019-05-31 23:56 |
| #17 Dissent is one thing. Open hatred is a different matter. Iran started its war with the US. We've never really responded appropriately -- and all that's gotten is an ever bolder Iran. But, Herb, if you want to be Valerie Jerret's useful idiot, go for it. |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2019-05-31 18:14 |
| #16 Poor Zenobia F — you do suffer, my dear. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2019-05-31 15:38 |
| #15 Or fixed it with something robust -- Less crusty or gusty Or rusty or dusty... More thrusty -- to lessen the lust Till "just" sleeps the sleep of... aw, jeez, I just can't do it. I thought I could, but I can't. Sorry. |
| Posted by: Betty de Medici2153 2019-05-31 15:22 |
| #14 I have no objection to dissenting opinions. I do object to being deliberately insulted. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2019-05-31 15:19 |
| #13 The mind-numbing drone of the "just" Is a buzz that I frankly mistrust. I abuse it myself -- It just jumps off the shelf! -- When I'm stuck in self-doubt or disgust, But I generally wish I'd just cussed. |
| Posted by: Betty de Medici2153 2019-05-31 15:16 |
| #12 Excellent points Mike. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2019-05-31 14:39 |
| #11 Welcome, when they have more grit than wind. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2019-05-31 12:59 |
| #10 welcome, but not free from criticism |
| Posted by: Frank G 2019-05-31 10:04 |
| #9 Dissenting opinions should be welcome on this site, despite their redundancy. |
| Posted by: Thimp Clusort2035 2019-05-31 09:11 |
| #8 Truly either a deranged fool or enemy agitprop purveyor. Why not both? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2019-05-31 08:36 |
| #7 Herb: "Never miss a chance to blame America and excuse the enemy" |
| Posted by: Frank G 2019-05-31 08:35 |
| #6 Is it that far gone ? |
| Posted by: Dron66046 2019-05-31 07:14 |
| #5 They, Herb ? |
| Posted by: Dron66046 2019-05-31 07:14 |
| #4 Herb's stuck on a lot of things, chris, especially when 'we' can be blamed for it. |
| Posted by: Raj 2019-05-31 07:06 |
| #3 ...Interestingly, though...it failed. In the past we would have seen a sharp spike in prices because OH NOES WAR IN THE GULF. Within the few days following, though, gas prices actually went down a few cents. This, I think is the greatest benefit from the US becoming the number one oil producer on earth - when others can't manipulate the price anymore, a lot of people are going to find themselves shafted and shafted hard. Like, for instance, Iran. The problem now is that since the forty-year old playbook no longer works, they might be driven to a desperation play... Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2019-05-31 06:58 |
| #2 I don't think we need an excuse too go too war with Iran, they have more than justified over the last 40 years enough reasons too kick the shit out of them. Also, you sure seem too be stuck on the gulf of tonkin. |
| Posted by: chris 2019-05-31 06:35 |
| #1 Or else it was a false flag just like the Gulf of Tonkin and Gleiwitz. Boy, you just couldn't ask for better timing than that. Just when they needed an excuse to go to war, poof it was right there. It's like it was planned. |
| Posted by: Herb McCoy 2019-05-31 01:55 |