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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran | |
| In anticipation of Israel's attack on its oil infrastructure, Iran shuts down Khark Island | |
| 2024-10-04 | |
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Neutering Iran's nuclear program ought to come immediately after the mullahs' air defense systems. Consultations with the leaky Biden White House ought to be kept curt and free of details. Absolutely. After-the-fact only To give you an idea of how vulnerable Iran's oil exports are, 95% of them get loaded onto tankers at one location. Brent crude prices jumped 5% after Tuesday's missile attack. Just as bad, Iran has just 10 refineries for domestic production of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), gasoline, kerosene, fuel oil, and lubricants. Oddly enough, Iran is a net importer of gasoline and needs hard currency to buy enough. Without those distillates, a modern economy grinds to a halt. The point is that if Israel wants to shut down Iran's foreign moneymaker, it can do so with relative ease. If it wants to go further and shut down Iran's domestic economy, it can do that, too, with a bit more effort. China, despite buying 91% (!!!) of Iran's oil exports, remains officially mum. That's up from just 26% in 2017, so if you were wondering what keeps the mullahs' regime awash in cash, it's Communist China. If an Israeli strike on Kharg sends Beijing scrambling to replace its Iranian imports, prices will spike worldwide. Whatever backchannel talks might be going on between Beijing and Jerusalem haven't leaked because neither Xi Jinping nor Bibi Netanyahu is Joe Biden or Kamala Harris. | |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #8 If the Iranians have shut down the Kharg Island terminal, fat juicy target that it is, does that count as a mission kill? That was my first thought. Without firing a shot. I mean, I -guess- this puts all safeties in place. If they work... "Sir, I ran the safety-on routine, but this copy of some game called Dig Dug popped up?" |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2024-10-04 20:08 |
| #7 IIUC it's controlled by the non-Houthi Gubbamint? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2024-10-04 17:59 |
| #6 Doesn't Yemen still have a functioning port at Aden? If so, why? |
| Posted by: Gromble+Dribble4342 2024-10-04 15:04 |
| #5 Kunstler this morning closed his screed with this curious, and pertinent, commentary on Kharg as an Israeli option to restrain Demokrat election cheating. FWIW: " One surprising October surprise is advanced by whistleblower Mike McCormick on Substack (Midnight in the Laptop of Good and Evil). Mr. McCormick was White House stenographer under Presidents Bush II, Obama, and Trump. His job was to transcribe meetings, speeches, and interactions between major political figures. He was the proverbial fly-on-the-wall for years and years. He has seen and heard a lot and still hears a lot from people who know a lot. He says the Obama-Biden-Harris faction of the Deep State blob is anti-Israel and that Israel understands what this means. He says that Benjamin Netanyahu has told “Joe Biden” (or, let’s say, told errand-boys Tony Blinken and Jake Sullivan) that if the blob engineers a phony victory for Kamala Harris, he will blow up the oil fields in Iran and the anti-Israel Democrats will have to pick up the pieces. There it is, raw power politics, like so much meat on the table. “Joe Biden” cannot control Bibi. “Joe Biden” is too far gone and two weak, and Israel does not aim to let itself get wiped off the map, as Iran’s leadership never tires of saying. The blob, McCormick says, has to ask itself: does it help rig the election for Harris or stand down on all its ballot harvesting and other trickery and actually allow a real election to roll out? Surprise! Now, take your Kit-kat bar and go home." |
| Posted by: NoMoreBS 2024-10-04 14:01 |
| #4 ^ This would be the "slowly at first" phase. The "all at once" part comes later. If the Iranians have shut down the Kharg Island terminal, fat juicy target that it is, does that count as a mission kill? |
| Posted by: SteveS 2024-10-04 12:50 |
| #3 The snake's head appears to be on a collision course with the Jewish garden hoe. My guess is, once it starts, it will end very suddenly. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2024-10-04 12:35 |
| #2 How US and UK have ramped up firepower in the Middle East to deter Iran from starting WWIII as Israel's top allies risk being dragged into conflict I don't think this will work. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2024-10-04 11:08 |