The tanker which the Iranians have boarded today in the Gulf of Oman is the ST NIKOLAS (9524475); carrying Iraqi oil. Formerly known as the SUEZ RAJAN; she was seized by the US government for having transported a million barrels of Iranian oil in connection to a US company.
Let’s nuke their ass and take their gas.
Captains need to be able to arm and protect their ships.
Send Tom Hanks. He’ll distract them while Keanu Reeves kills them all with one shot.................
Kerry and Pedo-Joe will just give the Iranian muzzies another hundred billion or so to show them who’s boss!
Hell, we gave Iran 6B however this current Administration wants to characterize it, what’s another oil tanker or two?
/s
Another one? Have they ever released the other ones they took?
” 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
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.
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.
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.
What is this, Hee-Haw news?
FFS can they come up with a system where AIS is not solely controlled from the bridge?
Reagan took out half of Iran’s naval fleet in 8 hours with Operation Praying Mantis in 1988. This is the way.
Bkmk