There's a group of people, encouraged by Israel, who've been wanting war with
Iran for years and years. Just like Venezuela, they're attempting to set the
stage for the regime change they want. They've been destabilizing Nicaragua for
more than a year, and now they're back to blockading Cuba. This pivot toward
China has been going on during Obama's presidency, and the renewal of the cold
war with Russia was ramped up by Hillary Clinton when she was secretary of
state. All of us on the left have been living in some kind of fantasy world,
thinking that we were making progress.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Saturday, June 15, 2019 11:08 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: US gov narrative blaming Iran for oil tanker
attacks falls apart in hours
Looks like the Akmerican Empire is not fighting or backing enough little wars,
so it's itching to pick a fight with Iran/Venezuela/Cuba/Anybody. I keep
wondering just where all our money is going? The money our Industrial/Military
Complex has siphoned off for several generations?
Carl Jarvis
On 6/14/19, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Iran June 14, 2019
US gov narrative blaming Iran for oil tanker attacks falls apart in
hours
The Trump administration's claims Iran attacked oil tankers in the
Gulf of Oman were quickly debunked, with the ship's crew saying it
"was hit by a flying object." But the US disrupted important Iranian
diplomatic efforts at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
By Ben Norton
The Donald Trump administration's evidence-less accusations against
Iran have fallen apart within a matter of hours. But these US
allegations did manage to disrupt an important meeting of Asian
leaders at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, where Tehran
was hoping to make diplomatic breakthroughs to ease a crippling American
economic blockade.
On Thursday, June 13, two oil tankers traveling through the Gulf of
Oman on their way to Japan suffered from mysterious explosions. The
cause of the incident was not clear.
The US government claimed without evidence that Iran was responsible
for supposed "attacks" on the vessels. Trump administration officials
accused Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of damaging a Japanese
tanker with a mine.
But by the morning of Friday, June 14, the narrative had been
debunked, with the Japanese cargo company Kokuka Sangyo telling
journalists that the US government's version of the story was simply
bogus.
"The crew is saying that it was hit by a flying object," explained the
president of the company, Yutaka Katada. "They are saying that
something came flying."
"To put a bomb on the side is something that we are not thinking," he
added, in comments at a press conference.
The US military published video of what it claims is an Iranian boat
crew removing an unexploded mine from the hull of the Japanese tanker
Kokuka Courageous.
But the company's president insisted in remarks reported by Reuters
that it was not an Iranian mine but rather two "flying objects" that
damaged the ship.
"The crew told us something came flying at the ship, and they found a
hole,"
Katada reiterated. "Then some crew witnessed the second shot."
Reuters noted that the "tanker was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz,
a major strategic waterway through which about one-fifth of global oil
consumption passes on its way from Middle Eastern producers including
Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the UAE and Kuwait as well as Iran."
The company president added, "This strait is very crucial. Without
this route we can not transport gasoline and heavy oil to Japan."
Sabotaging Iran's diplomacy with Asian leaders
Iran's foreign minister, Javad Zarif, shot back at the Trump
administration's allegations on Twitter. Zarif accused the White House
of seeking to "sabotage diplomacy" and "cover up [American] economic
terrorism against Iran," without offering "a shred of factual or
circumstantial evidence" to back up its claims.
As The Grayzone reported, the US government accused Iran of the
alleged attacks just as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe became the first
Japanese leader to visit Tehran in four decades.
The Trump administration also issued its unsubstantiated allegations a
day before an even more important meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization, a pan-Asian political and economic alliance that brought
together the leaders of the world's largest countries.
On June 14, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani joined President Xi
Jinping of China, President Vladimir Putin of Russia, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi of India, and Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan,
among other heads of state, at a regional summit in Bishkek, the capital of
Kyrgyzstan.
The US government's accusations may have at least partially derailed
Iran's diplomatic efforts, as Modi cancelled a bilateral meeting with
Rouhani at the last minute, vaguely citing "scheduling issues."
Until the Trump administration illegally violated the international
Iran nuclear deal (known officially as the JCPOA) in May 2018, India
had been the second-largest purchaser of Iranian oil. But US threats
of secondary sanctions forced New Delhi to cut Iranian oil imports.
Rouhani and Modi have recently discussed efforts to create a new
mechanism through which India can pay in rupees for Iranian oil,
thereby bypassing American sanctions.
Despite US attempts at sabotage, Iranian-Chinese talks at the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization summit went smoothly. Reuters reported,
citing Beijing's state media, that "Chinese President Xi Jinping told
Iran's president on Friday that China will promote steady development
of ties with Iran no matter how the situation changes."
At the summit, Rouhani also met with Putin, and called for closer ties
between Iran and Russia.
Foreign Minister Zarif tweeted that Rouhani was in Kyrgyzstan for the
summit, noting he had "Important multilateral dialogue" and "fruitful
bilateral talks" with Xi and Putin.
"Unilateral US actions-incl. its #EconomicTerrorism on Iran-are solely
responsible for insecurity & renewed tension in our region," Zarif added.
In his speech at the Bishkek summit, Rouhani condemned the United
States for international aggression.
"The US government over the last two years, violating all the
international structures and rules and using its economic, financial
and military resources, has taken an aggressive approach and presents
a serious risk to stability in the region and the world," the Iranian
president said.
Ben Norton
Ben Norton is a journalist and writer. He is a reporter for The
Grayzone, and the producer of the Moderate Rebels podcast, which he
co-hosts with Max Blumenthal. His website is BenNorton.com, and he tweets at
@BenjaminNorton.
