Posted on 08/22/2006 5:05:04 AM PDT by John999
Edited on 08/22/2006 5:08:53 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
BUCHAREST, Romania -- A Romanian oil rig off the coast of Iran came under fire Tuesday from an Iranian military warship and was later occupied by Iranian troops, a company spokesman said.
The Iranians first fired into the air and then fired at the Orizont rig, said GSP spokesman Radu Petrescu. Half an hour later, troops from the ship boarded and occupied the rig and the company lost contact with the 26 crew members shortly afterward....
IIRC what I read in Rogue Warrior Marcinko started out as a UDT guy before there was any thought of the SEALs and their specialized missions as they performed in VietNam. I remember the first magazine article written about his exploits in 'Nam (Argos magazine?) where he got his infamous nicknames: THE SHARKMAN: "Demo Dick Marcinko!" Draw your own mental illustrations.
I mean, maybe this isn't really too out of line -- Sundog gave us a nice background article -- but.... I'm just sayin'........
Truth be told, I used to put little cameras in the Thin Mints.
Have you missed the history of France since WWII?
I still do not understand the issue...who owns the rig? where was it located (whose waters) and why grab other peoples property??
Ummm, Just on the surface it looks like...
Who owns it? A Romanian company,
Where was it? On the coast of Iran,
Why grab it? Apparently the Iranians want it to keep pumping oil for them.
End of the world as we know it??? Not by any ordinary rationale.
They're likely showing what could happen to oil facilities in the Persian Gulf if any harm were to come to Iran. If we hit their nuke facilities be prepared for all hell to break loose in the Gulf against any oil facilities belonging to any country. This was a definite message related to upcoming sanctions.
So, when you said 'When has the world ever needed France', you *really* meant 'When has the world needed France since WWII?'
Sorry, the tinfoil hat you're wearing blocks my mind-reading powers.
--R.
Yes. I seem to remember Operation Praying Mantis did well in 1988
They must be Iranians of Nigerian descent... (Nigeria frequently has similar events - hostages taken on rigs, pipelines exploding etc - all over business disputes). Also, I remember reading about Iran keeping oil offshore for an "emergency".
Have we completed adding Romania to NATO?According to Wikipedia, we have, since March 29, 2004.
So, I guess if Romania wants us to, all of NATO is at war with Iran now.
Sounds like B.S. Read sundog's article:
Another Dubai analyst said due to political risks many companies were unwilling to extend contracts with Iranian companies.
"I think there are few international rigs operational in Iran despite the many tenders coming out," the analyst said.
IOW, sour grapes. They may CLAIM they are "saving the oil," but the truth appears they would really like to pump it, but few are willing to do business with them.
Reminds me of a commie history professor I had back in the 80's who claimed that the Soviets were cleverly "keeping their oil in ground" and would rise up and crush us when we (capitalists) ran out.
I didn't know all the details at the time -- which turned out to be that the Soviets were DESPERATE for hard currency, and trying like hell to pump and transport all the oil they could, but much of their reserves were under hard rock and they didn't have the drilling equipment or expertise to get at it -- but I DID know a couple things that gave me reason to laugh openly at this:
Try Yorktown, during the U.S. revolution.
The battle of Tours 732 with Charles the Hammer.
This represents the zenith of French military power. The one time they saved the world.
The "French" of that day would spit on the Frenchmen of today.
Tinfoil has the capacity to cause such blockage.
thank you for that.
unwiling to do business with Iran, that sounds like a motive for violence.
Unless it's in international waters, then, yes, I would consider this act of war.
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