The Mullahs were on the ropes, they were burning down police stations, chasing cops in the streets.
PERFECT TIMING..!!
What did we do? NOTHING.
But now that it's so much more expensive, everyone is a Rambo.
I can't understand it.
Posted on 09/16/2019 5:35:10 PM PDT by robowombat
Trump: US is 'Locked and Loaded' to Respond to Saudi Oil Attack
By Steve Herman September 15, 2019
U.S. President Donald Trump says American forces are 'locked and loaded' to respond to the fiery attacks on one of Saudi Arabia's largest oil fields and the world's biggest crude oil stabilization facility.
"There is reason to believe we know the culprit," Trump tweeted late Sunday. He added he is waiting to hear from the Saudis as to who they believe is behind the attack and "under what terms we would proceed."
Earlier, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had tweeted that "Iran has now launched an unprecedented attack on the world's energy supply," discounting the claim of responsibility by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen who said they carried out the attack by drones.
Iran calls the charges it is behind the attack, "maximum lies."
Likely targets in Iran for the United States or Saudi Arabia "would be refineries and critical oil facilities," Ali Shihabi, the founder of the Arabia Foundation, tells VOA.
Shihabi says, despite Trump's tweet, it is not about Riyadh "deciding," that any action the Saudis take "in retaliation across the Gulf will expose U.S. troops and facilities to Iranian attack, so it has to coordinate with the U.S."
Middlebury Institute of International Studies scholar Jeffrey Lewis says Trump leaving the decision to the Saudis "is pathetic."
Lewis, the founding publisher of the Arms Control Wonk blog, tells VOA the U.S. president is "clearly leaving himself an out" – so he can declare that he "wanted to retaliate, but it was the Saudis who said no."Lewis adds that Trump "likes to talk tough and I can't rule out something symbolic, but I don't think he has the stomach to start a war."
The rising tensions are causing oil prices to soar in Monday trading in Asia.
Benchmark oil futures jumped as much as $11.73 a barrel to $71.95 as markets opened, the largest ever rise in dollar-terms since futures started trading in 1988.
Trump also announced on Sunday that he was authoring the release of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, if needed, "in a to-be-determined amount" sufficient to keep the markets well-supplied.
The attack on Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq plant and the Khurais oil fields before dawn Saturday, caused massive fires.
The Saudis say no one was killed or injured in the airstrikes, which some analysts suspect might have been a precision attack with cruise missiles from Iran or Iraqi territory.
The destruction is severely cutting into Saudi Arabia's daily output of 5.7 million barrels of oil per day – close to 6% of the world's daily production.
Saudi officials are scrambling to restore operations and say they would tap into the country's reserves to keep deliveries coming.
Trump on Sunday also termed as "fake news" the reports that he was willing to meet with Iran with "no conditions."
However, last Tuesday two of his cabinet members, Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had said that the president was willing to meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani with "no preconditions."
It had been anticipated such a meeting could occur during the United Nations General Assembly session later this month in New York City.
Iran's government had stated, however, that would not be possible unless Washington lifted sanctions on it.
The United States is maintaining what it calls a "maximum pressure" campaign on Tehran over its nuclear and ballistic missiles programs, after Trump last year withdrew Washington from a multi-nation deal to restrain Iran's weapons of mass destruction programs.
Trump said the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, agreed to during the second term of his predecessor, Barack Obama, as one of the worst and most one-sided agreements ever entered into by the United States.
Let’s not.
Let’s gear up our production and manufacturing to pick up the business opportunities which come from higher energy costs in foreign countries.
And If the Europeans holler they can send in their people.
Do not the Saudis have their own load to lock?
What do they do with all that oil money?
Fill your car now...prices have already gone up.
We’ve owed Iran a MAGA-sized azz kicking for forty years.
Time to celebrate “America held hostage” big time.
Pennsylvania USA
Yesterday 2.694 2.558
One Week Ago 2.689 2.562
One Month Ago 2.771 2.623
One Year Ago 3.068 2.847
Locally a jump of $0.16 in 24 hours
Benchmark oil futures jumped as much as $11.73 a barrel to $71.95 as markets opened, the largest ever rise in dollar-terms since futures started trading in 1988.
I made a special trip (combining other errands I'd put off) to tank up, $2.239 I believe it was, I suspect the price at that station (wholesale club) is going to take a serious jump. But often it's difficult to tell. BTW, this is about the 20th such topic, or maybe 30th.
Man, we are such suckers.
Someone WILL win the engagement and it will not be the USA.
Juuuuust like last time.
You make good points, but we can use this as an excuse to decimate Iran’s nuke development infrastructure.
During Operation Praying Mantis we had them on the ropes and the ORIGINAL plan was to go ALL THE WAY, yeah, to knock off the mullahs TOTALLY.
It would have taken just one more feather, then:
We did NOT.
Later during the Green Revolution 5 years ago after 1/2 the Iranian pop was up in arms, taking on cops in the streets, we had our SECOND chance.
Did we do it?
No.
But now? Now that it’s going to cost a WHOLE lot more, all these people are pushing Uncle Sam into it.
The Mullahs were on the ropes, they were burning down police stations, chasing cops in the streets.
PERFECT TIMING..!!
What did we do? NOTHING.
But now that it's so much more expensive, everyone is a Rambo.
I can't understand it.
Or we can eventually devastate Iran’s nuclear program after letting Europe stew for a bit, and charge Europe in advance because they don’t pay their debts.
They’ve spent tens of billions on arms from the US over the last few decades; “Why do they not have their own load to lock?” is an excellent question.
Saudi has the means to respond....if they wish.
End of story.
It’s because someone doesn’t want the Persians to escape the middle ages. REALLY doesn’t want it.
Saudis bought billions in fighter aircraft & smart bombs from us for them to use in self defense. They are capable of handling this. Why did we sell this stuff to them if they won’t ever use it?
They use it all the time bombing Yemen. That’s why they got their crap shot up.
They Saudis apparently can’t even detect incoming drones or shoot down incoming missiles. The US can. Israel can. They can’t even defeat a group of rebels in Yemen. So of course they don’t have their own load to lock. They are at the mercy of Iran and the goodwill of the USA and other allies.
I have to say though I’d like to see more information. It seems crazy on the surface for Iran to have done this. Not impossible, not even implausible if they thought they could hide behind their proxies. But I can’t see many angles in it for them. If they thought that there would be no retaliation they might try it in an attempt to boost the cost of their oil exports. But it’s a hell of a gambit because their oil is relatively speaking just as exposed as Saudis. They may have more defenses in place, but they couldn’t protect their assets from a determined US forces attack.
So the whole thing has be a bit worried... as to what else Iran would have up their sleeve.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.