As the Trump Administration reimposes all nuclear sanctions on Iran beginning Monday, there is a substantial difference between the narrative of “toughest ever” sanctions and the reality that most of the world has no intention of complying with US demands this time.
This has Secretary of State Mike Pompeo trying to argue that Iran knows how decisive these sanctions are, and further emphasizing that some countries need “a little bit more time” to stop buying Iranian oil.
This is meant to explain eight nations receiving sanction waivers to keep buying Iranian oil, when Bolton said there would be none. In practice, almost all of this oil will be bought by China and India, two countries that had already pledged to defy US sanctions if they didn’t get the waiver. The waiver just means the US can say they are defying them with permission.
Pompeo is also trying to defend the humanitarian issues of these sanctions, saying that they will not hurt the ordinary Iranian. This is clearly untrue, as the sanctions are hurting aid groups importing medicine, and forcing the public to be increasingly dependent on the Iranian government, the only group with the size, and money, to weather the immediate attempts to halt banking contacts.
Pompeo is a smart guy. The sanctions won’t hurt because they won’t work. From the EU:
Plus:
>Russia, China, India and Turkey are siding with Iran.
>Tehran is not perturbed about the US threat to cut Iran off from the SWIFT. The fact of the matter is that Iran has an alternative to SWIFT – Russia’s SPFS. By the way, SPFS’ clients already include three of the top importers of Iranian oil – China, India and Turkey. (India probably used it recently to make payments for its purchase of the Russian S-400 ABM system!) Suffice to say, Washington not only needs to accept that SPFS is a viable workaround for countries to import Iranian oil, but also factor in the long-term implications of the emergence of such a new and parallel monetary system. . .here
>Pompeo: “We have decided to issue temporary allotments to a handful of countries responsible to specific circumstances and to ensure a well-supplied oil market. The US will be granting these exemptions to China, India, Italy, Greece, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Turkey,” Pompeo told reporters.
>top ten crude and condensate recipients from Iran (in order)
China, India, S. Korea, Turkey, Italy, Japan , UAE, Spain, France, Greece
Pompeo is even more demented than his boss
You’re quite right in that statement, Solly, Pompous Pompeo didn’t acquire that moniker for nothing. He’s an egotistic buffoon with an extreme capacity for lying.
He’s no Secretary of State by the way he acts; he’s still the CIA Director. He’s a bit like ex-CIA Director John Brennan, in that he has a huge ego and he constantly lies. He alienates any foreign leader with whom he deals; he did it with NK leader Kim Jong-un, after his boss (Trump) had had a successful summit with him in Singapore, and he did it with Russian President Vladimir Putin after Trump’s successful summit with him in Helsinki.
Trump should’ve appointed Rep. Dana Rorhabacher (D-CA), who’s been in the Foreign Affairs Committee for years; instead, he chose an oil executive (Rex Tillerson) and later replaced him with this egotistic buffoon, Pompous Pompeo, who’s been sabotaging his (Trump’s) efforts at mending relations with Russia, China and N. Korea, as well as our European allies.
And yet Trump keeps him on board.
Must be a challenge to find people to that make him look smart in comparison.
Right. Can’t decide whether Pompeo or Bolton is crazier, but would put Pompeo ahead of Bolton because he’s bit slicker.
It’s getting difficult to stomach reading the demented comments from the rich and powerful in the US.
They directly cause suffering and blame the hated other government for it.
They follow in the footsteps of another people that thought they were ‘uber alles’.
Just remember that pompeo graduated from the US Military Academy (West Point)-actually he is reported as being first in his class academically but I have not confirmed.
West Point’s motto is Duty, Honor, Country; Cadet’s honor code is a cadet will not lie, cheat, or steal or abide anyone who does.
I would think that pompeo has strayed far from the cadet honor code but he is not the first graduate to stray by a long shot. (This was going to be a sarc post but decided not to ridicule).
No question that he is either getting very bad information or he is lying through his teeth (tend to believe the latter): to wit, Iran responsible for yemen starvation, Iran will accept sanctions without adversely responding, and now finally, sanctions will not hurt the Iranian people. In fact, it is the people who will suffer the most!
Not stupid – just evil.
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has been plainly dismissive about sanctions which have been a fact of life since the Islamic Revolution in Iran 40 years ago. Some excerpts from his remarks on Saturday:
Pompass pretends he cares about the Iranian people, of course.
Boltonarsol also cares about human welfare.