Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says he intends to build a global coalition against Iran, starting Sunday with his visit to Saudi Arabia. This appears to be the latest push since the collapse of an attempt to build an “Arab NATO,” though Pompeo intends to recruit nations from Europe and Asia as well.
While Pompeo emphasized the new coalition being anti-Iran, other State Department officials described it as primarily about maritime security. They said it would be intended to patrol and protect shipping lanes.
This reflects the conflicting interests of Pompeo and President Trump. Pompeo is very keen to get something started against Iran, and remains among the main advocates for that. Trump, on the other hand, says he wants other nations to protect their own ships instead of expecting the US to do it, this isn’t necessarily an Iran-centric issue.
Trump in particular directed these comments to Japan and China, both of whom get most of their oil from through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said those nations should worry about protecting their ships, and that the US doesn’t need to be there, as such a large energy producer.
Trump has long been emphasizing the idea that other nations need to stop expecting the US to provide them free security across the world, and this is a continuation of that. It also underscores that Trump doesn’t see worries about shipping security as a justification for war with Iran.
It isn’t clear that shipping in the Strait of Hormuz is really all that dangerous, of course. A new recent incidents in the vicinity have done some damage to ships, but not damaged any cargo.
Coalition of the Willing, the Sequel.
Coming to a theater near you!
Yep. The coalition of the zionist vassals, plus “mini” Britain, the poodle
It should not be hard to muster up a anti Iran position . All Iran says and dreams of is eliminating the state of Israel and death to America . The Peace deal Obama and 5 countries made with Iran was going to allow Iran to get nuclear bombs in a few years . I don’t believe Pat Buckhanan or Iran when they say Iran does not want a nuclear bomb . I agree with Trump Iran can not have nuclear weapons .
“In my imagination, the Peace deal Obama and 5 countries made with Iran was going to allow Iran to get nuclear bombs in a few years.” Fixed, no charge.
Obama nuke deal or no Obama nuke deal, Iran already was, and remains, signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, had been meeting its obligations under the treaty before the deal, would continue to be bound to those obligations after the deal, and has shown no signs of interest in developing nuclear weapons since at least as far back as 2004.
Iran calls for the elimination of the Israeli regime similar to the US and Israel calling for regime change in Iran on a daily basis. Iran says death to America while America takes actual actions to destroy Iran with sanctions and surrounding them with military assets.. Iran did/does not have the capability to make nukes in “a few years” under the JCPOA. The IAEA and our own spooks have stated repeatedly that Iran doesn’t have a nuclear weapons program. So believe what you want and don’t let those inconvenient facts get in your way.
So I don’t believe your facts . What do you suppose Iran wanted all those centerfuges for
You’re not aware of the civilian usages? And they aren’t “my” facts. They’re facts. They aren’t trying to make a nuke.
Why should Iran be prevented from obtainING deterance parity…???
because Obama , Trump and Israel said so . That means they don’t get nukes .
Good point, Trump. But by that he usually means he expects other countries to hire the US as unpredictable mercenaries, such as the arrangement with S Korea vs N Korea. Trump can’t protect shipping if he starts a war with Iran… maybe the nations of the world do need to deploy there to counter the American threat.
It will be interesting to see what happens when a US ship stops a tanker carrying Iranian oil out of the Persian Gulf.