Captured in July as the Grace I and renamed the Adrian Darya-1 after its release, an Iranian oil tanker has finally made its delivery, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, who termed the oil “sold.”
The tanker was held for weeks in Gibraltar, and ultimately released on
the promise it wouldn’t go to Syria. The US had tried to get the ship
given to them, unsuccessfully, and also tried to bribe the captain to
hand it over.
US officials are vowing to sanction whoever ended up buying that oil,
but that may not be a simple task since it isn’t entirely apparently
who that actually was, and Iran probably isn’t going to volunteer that
information.
Suspicions are necessarily that Syria ended up getting the oil, both
because they were who wanted it in the first place and because one of
the last sightings of the tanker was near their coastline. Iranian
officials had indicated they might take it to Turkey, however, so this
is hardly proof of guilt.
Even if it turned out Syria did buy the oil, US options are practically
nil, since the US already sanctions both Iran and Syria about as much as
possible.
I hope we will at least see the release of the Stena Impero. If Boris Johnson is anything more than a moron, we’d also see the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe on “humanitarian” ground. So I’m not holding my breath.
Hats off to the brave Captain of the Adrian Darya who rejected greasy-thumb US bribery
I like to believe his ethics, tho there is the case of, would trump actually pay him ? And, would it be enough to retire on, as he would surely lose his license.
I gather the guy has family back in Iran and wanted to actually see them again.
Except the captain is Indian. Built by South Korea, Panama flag, Indian Captain, Iranian oil.
To impose sanctions on Syria a country that has suffered so immensely during the eight year lasting war is morally despicably and inhumane. They are ordinary people mostly children who suffer most from these sanctions.
Is there anyone/any place/any thing left to sanction? We must be running out of targets.
Still waiting for him to sanction every other gawdy hotel chain except his own.
Then he can move on to golf courses, and anything else he can’t stamp his shady brand on.
I find it difficult to believe that we could find, target, and assassinate Anwar Al-Awlaki almost a decade ago, but we can’t track and observe a full oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea and determine where it docked or transferred oil to another vessel at sea. We either know exactly what’s going or our intelligence services are highly overrated in their capabilities.
They know. They couldn’t do anything about it so it’s better to pretend not to know.
Could be trump “ordered” the Navy to seize it, and the “order” was blown off in the chain of command.
What? And I thought we were all for free international shipping, like in the South China Sea.
The Allegedly Rogue States of the World (pretty much everyone except the US, Israel and maybe Britain) should cooperate with each other to block all trade with the actual rogue states of the world.
From linked article:
“We will continue to put pressure on Iran and as President (Trump) said
there will be no waivers of any kind for Iran’s oil,” said Sigal
Mandelker, US Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial
Intelligence.
This woman is israeli born and prob an Israeli citizen, altho she refuses to answer the question. It is not difficult to see Israeli influence on all admin’s decisions relating to Iran.
Hmm … she comes out and makes a statement “as President (Trump) said.”
Is President Trump Israeli born and probably an Israeli citizen?
If President Trump sends his suits out to a Jewish-owned dry cleaner, is that a Zionist conspiracy too?
Is President Trump Israeli born and probably an Israeli citizen?
Do not believe so but …(sarc)
USA 0 – Iran 1
This kind of illustrates how sanctions are less effective than good old fashioned Diplomacy.
Is there anyone left to slap sanctions on at this point?
Our man is socio or, maybe even, psycho.
Our COUNTRY is psycho…this crap has been going on for two decades under the “leadership” of both parties.
Yup, except the “two parties” are just the wings of the same bird.
All this is utterly irrelevant to anything other than just more propaganda about how “Iran is bad” and therefore the ultimate blockade of Iranian oil is “justified.”
It’s pretty telling, though, when for all our power and might Iran still manages to thumb their nose at the US with the whole world watching. Iran’s crime is not having a nuclear program, or sponsoring terrorist groups. Iran’s crime is standing up to the US- and winning. It’s very simple, all Iran has to do is survive. Iran doesn’t have to beat us militarily or economically- all they have to do is remain standing and as long as they do, they win the game. In time- to borrow from the late Ayatollah, “the regime of Trump will pass from the pages of history”. And who will be there watching it happen? Iran.
“Ha-Ha!” The evil empire foiled again.