Posted on 01/11/2024 5:14:37 AM PST by texas booster
Hell, we gave Iran 6B however this current Administration wants to characterize it, what’s another oil tanker or two?
/s
Biden doesn’t do sanctions, so why enforce them?
He only does it when it involves screwing an American company.
Another one? Have they ever released the other ones they took?
Policeman to the world, which isn't paying for the service, while we put the whole policing thing on a giant credit card so that our grandkids will be destitute.
Most likely it has been used to carry something other than just what its captain claims in the paperwork.
It was seized last year because its Greek owners were violating sanctions on Iran by smuggling Iranian oil.
There are sanctions on Iranian oil due to Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and support of terrorism.
IIRC, when we gave the Marshall Islands their independence, well after capturing them in WWII, by the treaty that did that, we did take responsibility for their defense.
I’m pretty sure the U.S. defense obligations to the Marshall Islands only involves protecting the lands and territorial waters of the country, not some silly commercial interest where the country serves as a “flag of convenience” for shipping lines domiciled in other nations.
The US seized the vessel for violating sanctions.
Sanctions have been applied because some idiots in Washington think they are preferable to air strikes on the leadership of Iran because they are pursuing nukes, promote terrorism worldwide, and are holding hostages.
The problem is, usually sanctions only enable the ruling class in Iran, Iraq, Syria, North Korea, etc., to enrich themselves and play the victim while the rest of the country suffers from economic deprivation. Westerners unwilling to zap a mullah are hoping the economic suffering of the masses will cause them to rise up and overthrow the grifterd at the top, but as we can see in the US our own grifters remain entrenched firmly in power no matter how much we suffer, so I am not sure why they think it will work on Iran.
” DON’T “
...The U.S. Treasury has said Iran’s oil smuggling revenue supports the Quds Force, the expeditionary unit of the Revolutionary Guard that operates across the Mideast. The court documents link the Guard to the trade, involving hundreds of vessels that try to mask their movements and can hide their ownership through foreign shell companies.
But the Suez Rajan case (now St. Nikolas) was unique at the time of the transfer because it was owned by the Los Angeles-based private equity firm Oaktree Capital Management. That likely gave American prosecutors an edge in pursuing this case. Oaktree, which has repeatedly declined to discuss the case, sold the vessel fully to Empire in late May...” —— AP, JON GAMBRELL
I agree. Is there some maritime law that prevents them from doing so?
When the ship was seized by the US last year, in was in the South China Sea,
not the middle east, carrying a load smuggled from Iran.
Dem money launderer kabuki. I sense taxpayer dollars headed their way.
“China is believed to be a major buyer of Iranian oil, likely at a significant discount...”
...which explains why it was in the South China Sea.
So China is for all practical purposes, funding Iran’s Qods Force.
There is no maritime law while in international waters, but there are plenty of port rules and laws that make it difficult.
The Brits have a company that rotates ex-military on/off a ship way out in the Indian Ocean that can assist in these type of things.
Ship has to be resupplied while at sea.
The American (see Los Angeles based owner Oaktree) owned ship, once we seized it in the South China Sea as it was smuggling Iranian oil to China, was sent to the Gulf of Mexico, much to Iran’s consternation.
“In July, the top commander of the Revolutionary Guard’s naval arm threatened further action against anyone offloading the Suez Rajan, with state media linking the recent seizures to the cargo’s fate.”
So it just sat in the Gulf because everyone was afraid to try to offload it, for fear of the IRGC.
“Why aren’t ships armed against hijackers?”
Elites: “They couldn’t get hijacked if they were armed”
It’s all Kabuki theater
Iran’s IRG seized two other US owned ships, Chevrons, IIRC, since then. They had legal oil on board from Iran’s neighbors.
Maybe Biden will lift sanctions just before the election to bring down oil prices.
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