Over 3,000 US Marines and Navy sailors arrived in the Middle East on Sunday as part of a previously announced deployment aimed at Iran as tensions are rising in the region.
The troops are part of an Amphibious Readiness Group/Marine Expeditionary Unit (ARG/MEU) and arrived onboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan and dock landing ship USS Carter Hall. The vessels entered the Red Sea on Sunday after transiting through the Suez Canal.
Responding to the deployment, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani accused the US military of fueling regional instability. “The US government’s military presence in the region has never created security. Their interests in this region have always compelled them to fuel instability and insecurity,” he said. “We are deeply convinced that the countries of the Persian Gulf are capable of ensuring their own security.”
US Naval Central Forces Central Command said the deployment is a response to “harassment and seizures of merchant vessels.” Iran seized two tankers in the Persian Gulf earlier this year, but the incidents were provoked by the US seizing a tanker carrying Iranian oil.
Under the pretext of sanctions enforcement, the US Justice Department seized the Greek tanker Suez Rajan in April and forced the ship to head for Texas instead of China as the US intended to steal the 800,000 barrels of Iranian oil it was carrying. According to recent media reports, US companies are hesitant to discharge the oil because they fear reprisal from Iran in the Persian Gulf, and the Suez Rajan is stuck off the coast of Texas.
Tensions have soared in the Persian Gulf since April, and the US has announced a series of deployments meant to deter more Iranian seizures. Last month, the US claimed it stopped Iranian forces from seizing two commercial vessels near Oman. The US military is now considering placing armed troops on commercial vessels, an unprecedented move that would significantly heighten the risk of a direct clash with Iran.
Face it, Ukraine war will end….and then what will MIC do?
Gotta have another war “on-tap”
Uncle Joe sticks his pecker out there once again. With any luck, Biden will have a new proxy war by Christmas.
Did they also bring 3000 body bags…?!
Texas, Alaska or even Canadian and Mexican oil do not need the military to keep it flowing.
When world prices are dependant on such a volatile area of the world this is what we must do instead of ignoring it.
We could if our production was what the traders were concerned with because our prodution controls prices not theirs.
US does not depend on Middle East for its energy. Today, Middle East oil is China bound, and the rest of Asiia picking up a growing share.
No, it is not the dependency driving US behaviour, but an attempt to CONTROL those countries by making it difficult for them to sell their primary source of wealth. And if you can cripple their production, prices of commodities, transport, and routes to primary markets — US cqn gain treir abdication, complete compliance and ultimate prize — control of those assets.
US has created scarcity of oil by “sanctioning” many countries, blocking their oil from accessing global markets. Venezuela and Iran and partially stil Iraq. Now Russia. At this pount this is a desparate — or megalomanic — gambit. Attempts at lowering oil prices by pressuring Saudi Arabia failed. Attempts at getting Russia out of OPEC+ failed. Aftempts at sowing seeds of discord faiked. Attempt at controlling Bab Al-Mandeb streits largely in the process of failing since Saudi Arabia with Chinese and Russian help has an upper hand in Yemeni peacemaking. Even UAE withdrew from nmentoring South Yemen secessiinists. Without a foothold in Yemen, US cannot control straits. This is VERY critical point as Asia bound trade from Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Egypt and Europe depends on free Bab Al-Mandeb navigation. Attempts at controlling horn of Africa by “anti-pirate” military presence pewtered out. Streits iof Hormuz are equaly important to harras Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran and Iraq. But Oman has been judiciously conservative, prioritizing regional security and trade over American needs.
Now, Rusdian oil is flowing to China. Oil is fungible. Russian oul may go to Turkmenistan, and from there to China. Russian oil has resultedv in refinery boom in India. So much so that Russian capital is invested in the growth of refineries, Now even Europe is forced to buy finished products whike tgeir own refuneries are at half capacity after losing Russian crude. What do you thik will happen to Iranian oil? Same what is already happening to Russian oil — Saudi Arabia is importing and reselling. Western vessels and London insurance not needed.
The US does not “depend” on ME oil?
It’s that area’s production that controls world oil prices not ours.
That is why that tanker matters so much.
A disruption in that area drives prices up which necessitates us being there with our military.
It’s honestly not that hard to understand and within your reply you do kind of grasp what I’m sharing except the US oil production part vs. World oil prices.
You’re both correct.
World oil prices do have many mysteries, ans Inam trying to grasp it.
Major disruption in oil prices are sanctions and wars that limut free market. Venezuela, Iran, Russia — sanctions. Iraq, Libya — on going low grade warfare and foreign military presence. One can add to that Syria and Yemen.
The intent was to punish those countries soo they will be deprived of revenue. With so much oil blocked, why are prices not sky high? Why was it necessary fot OPEC+ to lower production and prevent prices from falling below prioduction cost? We should be mindful that oil — while still not about to be depleted – is increasingly explored in harder to access areas. Thus increased cost of exploration and production.
So, while easy to get to oil reserves have been reduced, new oil is costly.
And at the same time, prices have been barely above the new costs of production.
Why? I have no answer, nobody has. Some data points to the reduction in use in DEVELOPED world. One, deindustrialization in US, UK and even France. And recent drop in Germany due to loss of Russian energy sources.
Industrialization is growing in Chiina, Russia and Asia in general. Their demand is growing, just as Western demand is reducing. The develooment in Africa and Latin America is picking up, but is still slow. Developed world has suffered from CIVID related workplace changes, resulting in still very large commercial space invlarge cities being vacant. With the resulting decrease in energy consumption.
Nigeria is major supplier to US. Major customer of Saudi oil and Gulf oil is China and Asia. The only disruption of Middle East oil trade is US. There are no regional tensions among all major Gullf producers and suppliers. Now that Iran is no longer a threat to any oil producing country in the Gulf, and has established diplomatic relations — who is US protecting the Persian Gulf, Streits of Hormuz or Sea of Oman from? In whose name are sanctions against Iran enforced? Who is treatened by Iran’s oil trade? And why was it necessary to caprturr Iranian tanker? The ONLY reason seems to be to provoke Iran and capture Western flagged and insured oil cargo. So, the objective is for US to single handedly provoke tensions?
But why? To disrupt area which provides China and Asia with oil? It may not be a bad plan. All it will take is cause a log jam in Streits od Hormuz and Bab Al-Mandeb Streits, to block Saudi Arabian, Kuweit, Iraq, Egypt and Sudan’s export to Asia. Including oil exports.
But it may be late,,- as alternative energy refining and distribution mrkets are developing, Why is Saudi Arabia buying Russian oil? To earn from resale, transport and insurance business and keep its reserves. Russia is freed up from the overhead assiciated with distribution, while Saudis are well positioned to distribute globally. Why is India buying? To leverage its refining industry and sell refined products, Iran will probably take similar path, it can sell to Saudi Arabia, India or China. Reversely, Saudis can leverage Iranian connectivity with Asian oil pioelines. Saudis are eyeing one Southern Yemen region to builld pipeline directly to open Indian Ocean waters, bypassing both Streits.
All that OPEC+ is doing is managing changes in demand to adjust supply and avoid price collapse or sudden spikes.
With Western market for energy energy either decresing or. falling behind the growth in energy consumption in Asia — this is a historic transition that requires careful balancing of demand and supply. Disruptions only benefit speculators.
And our military presence there is disruptive, Nobody is threatening anyone in the region. They do not need our protection. They are managing the shift in demand to the East. As any business they are preventing overproduction or underproduction. Looking at prices from historic. inflation adjusted point of view, prices have been in fact decreasing.
US can in fact do what many countries do to secure supply with long term contract price. No beed to worry about market fluctuations, This is precisely what Europe had with Russia. So when Russia started selling surplus oil, it was at the SAME price that was previously under long term contract to European countries. The narrative we heard repeated ad nauseum was that Russia was selling at “deeply discounted prices”. Suggestion being — Russia losing money as a result of sanctions. In fact all Russia did was not increase the price, not lising any money in the process.
The complexity of oil market is due by the shift in demand to the East, and by the restructuring the market itself. Wholesale, refining, retail, shipping and insurance — restructuring is taking place.
And if US decides to ratchet up tensions for the sake of tension — let us remind ourselves that today there are no anymosities in Persian Gulf. All that will happen is — Saudi, Iranian and Russian producers and shippers will simply diversify the distribution.
Some of it is already under way; rail from Russia to China across Amur river has been just upgraded. Saudis are planning access to Indian Ocean as well as shipping to Iran that is linked by oil pipelines throughout Central Asia all the way to China.
The more we sanction and ratchet up pressure, the more the world diversifies. Prices have remained stable,
Instead of increasing production, more oil will be reaching market after being artificially constrained by sanctioning Iran and Russia. Oil is fungible.
Military presence may be “disruptive” but world prices depend on various “things”.
Disruptions or potential disruptions must be lessened which can involve militaries.
My position is that if you lessen the control an area has on the world price it lessens the need for meddling of all sorts including military in that area.
“And at the same time, prices have been barely above the new costs of production.”
Absent various artificial distortions, that is the natural price track of any commodity (look up the Simon-Ehrlich wager for examples). It becomes popular, demand increases versus supply, prices go up. More producers enter the market, supply aligns with then exceeds demand, and then there’s a glut and price competition, bringing the price down to the minimum profit that makes it worth producing at all.
Of course, there are LOTS of artificial distortions in the oil marketplace (including US sanctions on various producers, use of the US military as basically the US-approved oil companies’ rent-a-cops, etc.).
But global oil production has continued to increase, while global oil demand has been flat for the last few years (aside from the big drop in 2020) and is probably set for a long-term decrease trend. And OPEC no longer has the world by the short hairs; there’s too much competition (the US out-produces Saudi Arabia by about 25% at the moment).
One interesting artificial factor at the moment is Russia. Cutting it out of many western markets was supposed to hurt it — and apparently has, at least some, where total revenues are concerned. But it’s still making bank by selling at a discount to e.g. China and India, and other producers were able to take up the shortfall in those western markets and make money too.
3,00 troops will do jack shit if they don`t have air superiority America and it`s NATO LACKEYS are dead meat when it comes to a stand up fight .