GIBRALTAR TODAY REJECTED a US demand to seize an Iranian oil tanker at the centre of a diplomatic dispute as it prepared to leave the British overseas territory after weeks of detention. Gibraltar’s government said it could not seek a court order to detain the supertanker because US sanctions against Iran were not applicable in the European Union.

“The EU sanctions regime against Iran — which is applicable in Gibraltar — is much narrower than that applicable in the US,” the Gibraltar authorities said in a statement. Iran’s ambassador to London said in a tweet that “the vessel should set sail this evening”, with fresh crew arriving.

A Gibraltar judge ordered the Grace 1 tanker to be released on Thursday, weeks after authorities seized the vessel on suspicion of transporting oil to Syria in breach of European sanctions. Iran has repeatedly denied this.

Illicit shipments

On Friday the US Justice Department filed a request to detain the ship, alleging it was involved in supporting illicit shipments to Syria by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is listed as a terrorist group by Washington.

The seizure triggered a sharp deterioration in relations between Tehran and London. Iran subsequently detained the British-flagged tanker Stena Impero in what was seen as a tit-for-tat move.

The US Justice Department says the Grace 1 — now renamed the Adrian Darya — and its oil are subject to forfeiture because of US sanctions violations. Ties between Tehran and Washington have frayed since US President Donald Trump withdrew last year from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between major powers and Iran, reimposing crippling unilateral sanctions.

https://www.thejournal.ie/iran-oil-tanker-gibraltar-us-4771551-Aug2019/

First, the Germans put their companies and population first by buying cheap gas from Russia via Nordstream 2, even after the Amerikan Ambassador to Germany wrote directly to the German firms involved - warning them of sanctions.

Then they failed - deliberately (by a large margin) to meet-up with the 2% target of German GDP (4 Trillion) for NATO.

And now, they have the audacity not to join the Amerikan led coalition to make the Strait of Hormus safe, and at the same time - putting maximum pressure on Iran to achieve a regime change.

If Germany can ignore the United Snakes of Abomination, then others may get the idea that the so-called "Big Boss" is a paper tiger.

Now, Iran can either sit back and be strangled and cheerfully accept her people starving and dying for lack of medicine or she can act pre-emptively and impose some real costs of her own. Costs that are unbelievably high. Costs that are greater than those being imposed upon herself.

Failure to act on Iran’s part, and failure to respond to provocations, is merely interpreted as weakness, leading to further more serious provocations.

Volkswagen, Mercedes, Peugeot, Renault, Total, Bayer, Maersk, Siemens and many others withdrew from Iran when threatened by the Zionist stooges in Washington bent on destroying her economy, starve & immiserate her people and reducing her to penury - like what is being done to Venezuela.

Intrusions into its airspace and territorial waters followed. Iran was threatened with “obliteration” on a daily basis for 2 decades. Then the act of piracy off Gibraltar on Bolton’s orders. This is an act of war. The US has gone to war numerous times whenever its shipping was interfered with, dating back to the Barbary coast in the 18th century and war with Britain in 1812.

It is simply not possible to invade Iran as Iraq was invaded. There can be no land invasion. All the Amerikan bases surrounding Iran are wide open to attacks.

Critical facilities have been placed deep underground as a form of protection from aerial bombing. The Straits could be closed in one day in a mining operation.

Any navy entering to clear them would be like ducks in a shooting gallery. No oil would be exported from the region indefinitely. More to the point, the oil infrastructure of the entire region would be immediately destroyed in any conflict. It cannot be defended.

There would be an immediate global depression. An implosion of the banking and financial systems and derivatives markets. The swift collapse of the Saudi and other Gulf dictatorships, and the collapse of the dollar. The destruction of Amerika as a superpower.

The whole region would be on fire - escalating completely beyond any control. The Gulf, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Israel. And that’s only the beginning, the first chapter.

The response of Russia, China, and neighbouring countries is unpredictable. They cannot view a major war in a neighbouring country and major economic partner with equanimity. Nor do they want to see the country turned into an Amerikan satellite town - complete with missile bases.

We simply don’t know how they would react till it happens. But react they would, in some way.

All that can be said with any degree of certainty is that this would not be a short war. It would probably last for years, and escalate uncontrollably, and the consequences would be incalculable.

Zoharariel:
First, the Germans put their companies and population first by buying cheap gas from Russia via Nordstream 2, even after the Amerikan Ambassador to Germany wrote directly to the German firms involved - warning them of sanctions.

Then they failed - deliberately (by a large margin) to meet-up with the 2% target of German GDP (4 Trillion) for NATO.

And now, they have the audacity not to join the Amerikan led coalition to make the Strait of Hormus safe, and at the same time - putting maximum pressure on Iran to achieve a regime change.

If Germany can ignore the United Snakes of Abomination, then others may get the idea that the so-called "Big Boss" is a paper tiger.

Now, Iran can either sit back and be strangled and cheerfully accept her people starving and dying for lack of medicine or she can act pre-emptively and impose some real costs of her own. Costs that are unbelievably high. Costs that are greater than those being imposed upon herself.

Failure to act on Iran’s part, and failure to respond to provocations, is merely interpreted as weakness, leading to further more serious provocations.

Volkswagen, Mercedes, Peugeot, Renault, Total, Bayer, Maersk, Siemens and many others withdrew from Iran when threatened by the Zionist stooges in Washington bent on destroying her economy, starve & immiserate her people and reducing her to penury - like what is being done to Venezuela.

Intrusions into its airspace and territorial waters followed. Iran was threatened with “obliteration” on a daily basis for 2 decades. Then the act of piracy off Gibraltar on Bolton’s orders. This is an act of war. The US has gone to war numerous times whenever its shipping was interfered with, dating back to the Barbary coast in the 18th century and war with Britain in 1812.

It is simply not possible to invade Iran as Iraq was invaded. There can be no land invasion. All the Amerikan bases surrounding Iran are wide open to attacks.

Critical facilities have been placed deep underground as a form of protection from aerial bombing. The Straits could be closed in one day in a mining operation.

Any navy entering to clear them would be like ducks in a shooting gallery. No oil would be exported from the region indefinitely. More to the point, the oil infrastructure of the entire region would be immediately destroyed in any conflict. It cannot be defended.

There would be an immediate global depression. An implosion of the banking and financial systems and derivatives markets. The swift collapse of the Saudi and other Gulf dictatorships, and the collapse of the dollar. The destruction of Amerika as a superpower.

The whole region would be on fire - escalating completely beyond any control. The Gulf, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Israel. And that’s only the beginning, the first chapter.

The response of Russia, China, and neighbouring countries is unpredictable. They cannot view a major war in a neighbouring country and major economic partner with equanimity. Nor do they want to see the country turned into an Amerikan satellite town - complete with missile bases.

We simply don’t know how they would react till it happens. But react they would, in some way.

All that can be said with any degree of certainty is that this would not be a short war. It would probably last for years, and escalate uncontrollably, and the consequences would be incalculable.

I can't believe I read all you wrote.

Nice one mate, you sure have a good analysis of the international scene

The United States is not a strong country.

Its other countries that are making them strong.

If all countries start thinking independently and not bowing to pressure, the United States will be humbled.

Good writeup mate.

The truth is that the tanker has no where to go, it can't evade American naval ships on the oceans. If it leaves Gibraltar today, it will be arrested by the US navy

Anduku:
The truth is that the tanker has no where to go, it can't evade American naval ships on the oceans. If it leaves Gibraltar today, it will be arrested by the US navy

Iranian naval escort is on the way.

dermmy:


Iranian naval escort is on the way.

US may likely seize the ship before any Iranian naval escort get to it, it just left Gibraltar and tension is high. Iran will retaliate should her ship be seized in international waters, they'd use that as an excuse to terrorise the strait of Hormuz.

dermmy:


Iranian naval escort is on the way.

Lol, So Iranian naval escort is the one that will prevent The US Navy from arresting the ship?

Anduku:

Lol, So Iranian naval escort is the one that will prevent The US Navy from arresting the ship?

Are you saying US would try to seize an Iranian ship that has naval escort?

dermmy:


Are you saying US would try to seize an Iranian ship that has naval escort?

Absolutely!! The US government has issued a warrant for the arrest of that ship and US naval forces will impound that ship once it hits international waters even if they have to use force to do that.

Anduku:

Absolutely!! The US government has issued a warrant for the arrest of that ship and US naval forces will impound that ship once it hits international waters even if they have to use force to do that.

Even if they have to use force? Iran would see that as provocation and reserves the right to act the way it chooses. I want you to know that Iran is not under any international/UN sanction that says it shouldn't sell oil to any country and it has assured EU that it won't violate the sanction they imposed on Syria by shipping oil there. This is a US unilateral action, so let's see what happens.