Five Iranian tankers full of gasoline approach Venezuela, potentially ending a major fuel shortage which is having devastating consequences in sanction-hit Venezuela. US officials are making it clear they aren’t happy with that.
A big part of the US objections is that between failed regime changes and sanctions, getting Venezuela into this desperate state was very expensive. Keeping Iran having a lot of extra gasoline was also the result of US policy,. so this all naturally was a reaction from US policy.
Elliott Abrams, the special representative for US hostility toward Venezuela, complained that Iran and Venezuela are “two pariah states finding that they are able to exchange things they need for things they have.”
Which is to say, trade. Venezuelan officials dismissed US complaints, saying commerce with Iran is nothing new and they’ve been trading for 20 years. It is just now running contrary to US bids for regime change in Venezuela, which is why it is becoming a bigger deal.
i’m putting in a request for a blockade. we haven’t done one for a while and it is a good way to punish two countries at once who are acting up. we are not thrilled that they are conspiring to circumvent our sanctions.
Maybe its because your sanctions are unlawful anyway.
we make the laws and do not have to abide by them. i’ve already told you this and you do not seem to believe it is factual. you may not like it and that is ok, but it is. we laugh at anyone trying to enforce international law on us. that is comical that anyone would try that.
US laws dont apply to the whole world, countries can ignore them if they choose or not if they want to do business with US. Iran gives them the middle finger
and what has that gotten them. countries that cooperate with us get all the spoils. those that don’t have to pay the price. those middle fingers are going to be at the bottom of the straight of hormuz if they keep it up. no one has to do business with us but we can prevent them from doing business with someone else.
What spoils??? delusion and bending over for the boot of Uncle Sam via extrajudicial sanctions, and manipulation through weaponizing the dollar are not spoils. Luv your satire…very very funny!
Indeed..US law is worthless abroad and is self serving as the bought off politicians/plutocrats who orchestrate them
US laws do not apply or amount to a hill of beans to the rest of the world. When you are an outlaw nation and living on borrowed money, and beating down your own working class in favor of a corporate oligarchy ..what country abroad should respect US law?? You will learn soon enough…
LOL!!!!! more satire…love these armchair beer slinging cowboys…what needs to happen and will happen is the world uniting against US terrorism and applying its own brand of brutal sanctions. Like Rome, the US is headed for a big wake up.
Of course the fact that this transaction is none of Washingtons business….
we’re making it our business. those two rogue states (neither qualifies to be called a country) had better reassess their motives for this insubordinate act of defiance. our sanction division now has to work this weekend to come up with some more crippling ideas to thwart this.
Oh the satire…luv it!! The biggest terrorist gangster nation IS the US which no one respects or looks up to because of its actions against the rest of the world, and how it treats the US working class. Sure the US has many weapons, but in war’s they are like the “keystone” cops..befuddled, confused, inept..and never win! What war has the US ever won in the last 80 years?? Okay Panama!!! LOL! Not WW2 Not Korea, Not Vietnam, Not Iraq, Oh…and Afghanistan…LOL!!! bluster and the constant blathering about the US being a great virtuous nation is just pure bunk!
Two nations engaged in perfectly legal trade. US can apply sanctions but has no right to obstruct freedom of navigation.
“so this all naturally was a reaction from US policy”
Never mind about another messy situation we created. When in doubt, fall back on the old reliable. Trump hasn’t started any new wars. Drops out of the nuke deal? No new wars. Drops out of treaties? No new wars. Sells weapons to anyone with cash? No new wars. Sanctions countries into ruin? No new wars. Wants to test nukes? No new wars. Insults, lies and narcissistic ramblings? No new wars. MAGA. Trump/2020.
KAG 2020, actually.
No new wars, is no new wars.
All the deals Trumped dropped out of, had fatal geopolitical flaws that could more easily lead to new wars than just leaving them.
We KNOW not to start a fight with Russia. China, not so much.
Trump pivoted to Asia and got stampeded by RAcial HOly WAr over COVID-19. China needs to be brought into some kind of workable perspective other than moneybags or punching bag.
We know Iran is a rising Eurasian player; not everyone is convinced war with Iran is a very bad idea. The JCPOA may have worked for Europe, but not the U.S., which would be expected to deal with Iranian ballistic missiles.
“No new wars, is no new wars.”
Of course. But wouldn’t it be nice if it were part of a list of his accomplishments instead of the go to response to any criticism of him? Like when he assassinates generals or sanctions countries to the hilt, as two of the many, many examples, and the Trumpsters come back with “but he hasn’t started any new wars” as the reason those things aren’t so terrible.
That would be nice, but not the political reality. Its surprising Trump is still in office.
Trump talks a bit about fighting the Deep State in his interview with Sharyl Attkisson on Full Measure,
http://fullmeasure.news/news/full-episodes/full-measure-may-24-2020-interview-with-the-president
“… I’m fighting the swamp. And I said I was doing it. And I’m exposing the swamp. I think if it keeps going the way I’m going,… if it keeps going the way it’s going, I have a chance to break the deep state.”
That’s what a lot of people want to hear. Eventually it will be part of the script, but for now its revolutionary. Presidents have died for challenging Deep State egos even a little.
What political reality? Was Trump forced to assassinate the Iranian general? Was he forced to drop out of the JCPOA? He bragged profusely about “taking out” the general and promised to destroy the JCPOA as a candidate. Was he fighting the deep state on those occasions?
“… I’m fighting the swamp. And I said I was doing it. And I’m exposing the swamp. I think if it keeps going the way I’m going,… if it keeps going the way it’s going, I have a chance to break the deep state.”
How exactly is he doing any of that? By surrounding himself with the most vile neocon deepstaters available? He plays whatever room he is in and the cherry picking comes easy. I could run out some quotes about torture, GITMO, using nukes because we have nukes, and countless other things that doesn’t sound anything like he’s fighting the good fight against the deep state.
Be that as it may, Trump’s body count is still well below Obama and Bush II.
There’s no way to get appointments past the Senate that are not Swamp-passable.
Many posts have gone unfilled, but some cannot be left open with just acting officials..
Be that as it may, Trump’s body count is still well below Obama and Bush II.
Not good enough. And used repeatedly in the same vein as “he hasn’t stated any new wars”. Always as a defense to some other egregious action.
“There’s no way to get appointments past the Senate that are not Swamp-passable.”
I can’t argue with that but there hasn’t even been an attempt. Rand Paul balked at Pompeo and then he caved. But, again, I haven’t heard one name brought up by Trump that wouldn’t be considered a swamp creature.
The swamp is being drained – Democrat side first.
Doubtless some RINOS going hungry too; the patronage tree isn’t being enthusiastically watered by Trump. Lots of swamp positions going unfilled.
https://hillreporter.com/9-high-level-cabinet-positions-that-remain-unfilled-under-trump-30243
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/trump-administration-appointee-tracker/database/
There’s no getting around that once in the swamp, a President will be surrounded by swamp creatures stacking the talent pool with more swamp creatures.
If Jill Stein had gotten in, this would have been far more apparent. Bipartisan hostility from the War Party would ensure that, like Trump, she would have to get by with a minimal cabinet. Yet some positions have to be filled, and the swamp will look after its own.
Not to mention the longstanding swamp creatures like Doc. Faucci, appointed from as far back as Reagan. There’s no ‘COVID-19 gate because Trump followed the terrible advice of Faucci and Brix as far as he had to.
Can you please give me one name Trump has uttered that he wanted/wants onboard who ISN’T a swamp creature. Just one. Does he even know anyone who wouldn’t be considered a swamp creature? Maybe his progeny?(yes, that was a joke) I can’t imagine there is this list of peace and liberty leaning folks who Trump is just dying to nominate for positions but the deep state just won’t let him.
Can’t fire them unless you hire them…
But you gotta replace them with something different. There isn’t enough time to fire them all.
That starts with the voting public, for better or worse.
The elected representatives determine whom a President can appoint to Cabinet.
The elected representatives reward or punish with willingness to cooperate with a Presidential agenda.
If the voting public votes in swamp creatures and support swampy policies, then swampiness naturally becomes the first defining feature of the talent pool.
Said pool will be a swamp, of course.
Again, could you just name me one individual who Trump was considering that wasn’t a swamp creature? If he would have put ONE name forward and all those swamp creatures the public voted in objected, then I could agree with you.
That would run counter to the thesis that swamp creatures are appointed to be discredited and dumped, like John Bolton was.
Still, there’s Steve Bannon, wannabe swamp creature.
Trump appears to keep his non-swamp people in advisory roles where they can’t be dumped on or out by anyone by himself. His daughter and non-in-law Ivanka and Jerod come first to mind. The recent Church walk, was endorsed by evangelical Robert Jeffress, whom Trump apparently pays heed too.
None are great examples of non-swamp people, but all have more access and influence than any appointee. Kushner, for example, is Canada’ go-to fixer of all things Trump. apparently.
“None are great examples of non-swamp people”
The understatement of the year. I guess our definitions of swamp people differ.
You have a clear definition of non-swamp people with exemplars?
Neither Bannon, Ivanka, or Kushner were imperial court anybodies before Trump, and only Bannon actively sought political influence. Only Kushner would find some welcome among the power elite, because of his impeccable Israelist pedigree.
Perhaps you could say they are proto swamp people, but that covers a lot of partisan ground.
A person’s swampness isn’t usually exposed until they are put in a position to show how swampy they actually are. I will agree that the people you mention as not being swamp creatures before Trump but then they got hired and opened their mouths and spoke. But I must admit you stumped me on giving a clear definition of non swamp people. Rand Paul comes to mind but he always caves to the swamp.
Rand Paul isn’t a swamp creature or wannabe swamp creature; he’s just not naturally compliantly evily crooked enough.
Trying to play with the big swampies and squeak out some good isn’t what swamp creatures are or do. You gotta be able to breath muck.
There is a moment of conversion for some though, when a good-ish person plays along and goes along and gets along, then finds he or can’t stop, won’t stop, and doesn’t want to stop going Deeper.
The US admin. is so hypocritical, while illegally sanctioning both Iran and Venezuela, upholding a naval blockade against Venezuela and threatening the legal Iranian oil shipment to Venezuela……the US buys Russian oil (seven oil tankers carrying up to 6 million barrels of Russian oil are on their way to the US right now) to Stockpile and fill US reserve, while sanctioning EU countries who make oil deals with Russia.
The US is run by corporate gangsters.
we do what we have to do to make everything run smoothly.
… nothing actually happened….
The US should be studying the dingle berries on the “Crazy King’s” ass.
Is war more or less likely now that Covid-19 and the reactions of various governments around the world have had such a shock on economic activity in so short a timeframe? Even if heat and humidity hamper the virus’s transmissibility, which is not known, then it will be back with a vengeance to coincide with flu season. Even if a V-shaped recovery begins in June and July, a similar shock looms. Would Trump start a war to distract? Maybe a Persian Gulf Incident?
Shooting war is less likely with COVID-19.
Trump and America can’t afford such a war, and although all their opponents know that, Trump decides if the U.S. goes to war.
Economic war… well that’s an open question.
There’s really no reason to, since affected nations would just blame COVID-19 or the U.S., whichever is more convenient to excuse the more real problems of domestic corruption and ineptitude. Then the U.S. loses their business.
If Iran and Venezuela actually were Pariah states then the U.S. would not have to threaten other countries with legal action from our Treasury Dept. and sanctions for trading with them. Other countries would willingly join our trade embargo instead of being coerced.