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US Passes Strong Sanctions Against Iran
Sanctions bite India:
In a setback to Indian efforts to re-energise the relationship with Iran, a 35-year-old Indo-Iranian shipping joint venture, Iran-o-Hind, has been placed under sanctions in the latest UN Security Council Resolution 1929 on Iran. This is the only entity with Indian links included in the fresh round of sanctions.
Significantly, this has implications for transport of crude that India imports from Iran. Tankers from Iran-o-Hind, which has a fleet of eight vessels, were used for this purpose. Sources said India will now have to look for alternate ways to transport crude, engaging services of entities that have not been affected by the sanctions.
India imports 12 per cent of its crude from Iran.
Formed in 1975, Iran-o-Hind is a joint venture between the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), which holds 51 per cent stake, and Shipping Corporation of India that has 49 per cent stake. The entity has been placed under sanctions in Annex III of UNSCR 1929.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/indiairan-jv-in-sanctions-list-crude-oil-ferries-hit/644670/
Presumably, India is not amused at having its crude oil supply interrupted, during a week when it faced strikes and protests over rising fuel prices.
Russia is calling our bluff... (Ria Novosti)
Apparently, Russia is not concerned about the US' posturing. (The link to the full article is above.)
"Sanctions will not be a hindrance," Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko said after talks with visiting Iranian Petroleum Minister Masud Mir-Kazemi.
"Sanctions are not affecting Iran's economic and industrial development," Mir-Kazemi said echoing Schmatko's remarks.
"Truly independent countries cooperate with Iran," he added.
Shmatko said Russian companies were ready to supply oil products to Iran.
It's the question that drives us, Neo. It's the question that brought you here. You know the question, just as I did. [What is the Matrix?] The answer is out there and it's looking for you, and it will find you if you want it to. -- Trinity
the iran government laughs at our efforts to stop their march to nuclear weapons. they know we are weak willed and will do nothing of merit to stop them.
By observing how our foreign policy is pieced together two things become very troubling. First, our limited "government" is not representative of the wishes and concerns of its citizens. Second, common people seem to have no regard for the human rights of others as our government interests trump all morality and justice. It is hard for me to fathom our nation killing 1,300,000 mostly innocent Iraqis over bogus claims of WMDs and there is no accountability or regret.
Our government is limited in scope as they have no control or input on financial matters. They must borrow all new money at the discretion of a private banking cartel. If the banks want to, they can contract our money supply at any time which will cause great suffering and higher unemployment. There is no open debate on how an attack on Iran will effect the flow of oil through the narrow Strait of Hormuz and no discussion on the financial costs - can we afford another expensive war while the G20 is pleading for austerity measures for the people?
Doesn't national security include solvency?
And what is the relationship of the owners of the private and international banking cartel and Israel? We know for example that much of the Federal Reserve is owned and controlled by foreigners who also control the Bank of England and other central banks through Europe and the West. The money controllers are effectively a "governBank" that has more power than the limited government defined in our respective national constitutions.
It is a valid question to ask who's interests we are serving with the blood and money of Americans. How would we respond if we were asked "would you be willing to give up your social security, pension and civil liberties to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuke?" Are we willing to have our infrastructure, educational system and health care financially devastated by more costly wars? I think we are being used as the muscle behind the international banking cartel in much the same way that an ox is used to pull a plow.
It is becoming more and more obvious that Israel is a bigger threat to the national security of the United States than Iran.
Larry
END the FED before it ENDS US
Here's a sad example of how politicized our government-subsidized U.S. higher education system has become:
WASHINGTON — The Educational Testing Service has announced that it is temporarily suspending registration for its tests in Iran, including the popular Test of English as a Foreign Language, in what may be one of the first tangible effects of the new sanctions levied against the country by the international community.
Experts and Iranian expatriates were appalled, saying that if the sanctions prohibited Iranians from studying abroad, they would hurt precisely the kind of outward-looking young Iranians the West would like to help.
The Test of English as a Foreign Language, or Toefl, is a widely recognized measure of English proficiency and is often used by Western universities in evaluating international students for admission.
The statement posted on the E.T.S. Web site on Wednesday cited the United Nations Security Council resolution “affecting banks and financial institutions that conduct business in Iran. “As a result of this resolution, E.T.S. is currently unable to process payments from Iran,” the statement said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/18/world/middleeast/18tehran.html
Cut off English-speaking, western-oriented Iranian students who may become the country's future leaders -- your tax dollars at work!
the iran government laughs at our efforts to stop their march to nuclear weapons. they know we are weak willed and will do nothing of merit to stop them.
A couple of good books for you. At the very least, the U.S. govt. is facing blowback from their own duplicity, if not outright complicity in the weapons bazaar of nuclear proliferation.
This review is from: Deception: Pakistan, the United States, and the Secret Trade in Nuclear Weapons (Hardcover)"This book precisely details the failures of six US administrations and major World powers in preventing nuclear proliferation. It shows that our government's first priority is monetary gains for its closest supporters rather than the protection of its citizens. It shows the complicity of the US and many Major Powers in getting the nuclear bomb and technology for Pakistan and how a blind eye was turned as it was distributed through Middle East and Africa. It reveals with supportive documents the poor leadership and vision of many of our honored politicians. It details how the Pakistani leadership has always worked and supported Al Qaeda. It confirms that the political rehtoric is completely opposite of the real profit driven actions by governments. It is a must read for those who have long questioned the efficiency and effectiveness of our two party system."
http://www.amazon.com/Deception-Pakistan...
And Israel? From the Federation of American Scientists:
"Israel has not confirmed that it has nuclear weapons and officially maintains that it will not be the first country to introduce nuclear weapons into the Middle East. Yet the existence of Israeli nuclear weapons is a "public secret" by now due to the declassification of large numbers of formerly highly classified US government documents which show that the United States by 1975 was convinced that Israel had nuclear weapons."
http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/israel/nuk...
Plenty of people are laughing at the military industrial complex but it's a nervous laughter, an acknowledgment that it's precisely when govts can least afford it that they kickstart wars. In retrospect, it looks like self sabotage but that won't become clear to knee jerk imperialists and their war profiteering buddies, until all is said and done. Iran may be reduced to burning rubble but the U.S. will be destroyed through the slower burn of economic oxidation, as a direct consequence of unecessary war. There could be civil unrest, revolution,-- if Iran is taken on. Israel doesn't care who beats themselves bloody trying to 'help' them. Heads could roll in the U.S. The governing elites have been slowly decapitating their own citizenry, metaphorically speaking. The tables could turn, and it might not be an incremental or metaphorical process.
Reuters: China opposes new EU sanctions on Iran
This'll be interesting to watch. How much will China flex its economic muscle against the US and Europe to protect Iran?
Nothing new with China cooperating with states not in favour with the US, sometimes just to gain bargaining chips. My bet is that there is an (implicit) offer from Beijing to reverse position, and support the sanctions -- if US reverses its position on something like this:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...
This might relevant to the heightened tension:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/28/japanese-oil-tanker-explosion-oman
Japanese oil tanker damaged in Gulf explosionOwners believe incident in waters off Oman could have been terrorist attack. A Japanese oil tanker loaded with crude has been damaged in an explosion in the Gulf, and the owners of the vessel blamed a possible terrorist attack for the blast.
This happened in the straight of Hormuz. Iran has warned that they will stop all oil transports through the straight if attacked.
Could it be a warning shot from Iran? Or a false flag to achieve casus belli? And if so, by who -- US, or someone like Israel attempting to drag US into another bombing campaign?
FYI: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66726720100708
My sources are saying that this swap of Russian spies (coming to the US) is being driven by the Israelis. I'm hearing that the intelligence officers that were caught and jailed there were part of the Mosad or had been in contact with the Mosad before being caught.
Doesn't really have anything to do with Iran but with the above post about AIPAC, thought it was relivant in some manner.