Solidarity endures and flourishes despite US threats
The United States extended its unilateral sanctions regime on Venezuela’s oil industry on Tuesday, focusing this time on maritime companies who have been assisting the Latin American country in getting its crude oil to market, the U.S. Department of the Treasury said on Tuesday.
“The illegitimate Maduro regime has enlisted the help of maritime companies and their vessels to continue the exploitation of Venezuela’s natural resources for the regime’s profit,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said, adding that the US will continue to target anyone to supports Maduro’s regime and contributes “to the suffering of the Venezuelan people.”
Such accusations by US officials seem somewhat surreal given current developments in their own country. A more plausible explanation is that the US leadership is seeking some way to restore its ego after its humiliation by Venezuela and Iran, who successfully completed a shipment of five tankers of fuel and chemical precursors for Venezuela’s oil refineries over the last few weeks, with the last of the Iranian vessels arriving to Venezuelan waters on Monday. The US government did everything possible to prevent the shipments from arriving, and made threats that implied a possible interception of the shipments by force.
The latest measures by the US Treasury target the Panamanian-flagged Athens Voyager, the Maltese-flagged Chios I, the Bahamian-flagged Seahero and the Marshall Islands-flagged Voyager I. The owners are Afranav Maritime, Seacomber, Adamant Maritime and Sanibel Shiptrade respectively.
The Seahero appears to be chartered by Chevron at the moment, carrying a US crude cargo to the Asia Pacific region. It is listing Ningbao, China, as its destination, based on AIS data from Fleetmon. Shipping data show the Chios I is off Italy’s coast, en route from Taranto to Milazzo. The Athens Voyager left the UAE port of Fujairah today and is heading for the Suez Canal. The Voyager I is at anchor offshore Malaysia, having travelled there from the Caribbean. LINK
The action enforcing a strict sanctions regime against Caracas followed recent deliveries to Venezuela of gasoline and alkylate from Iran, another target of US sanctions. The US has not been able to exact a similar vengeance for defying its dictates in the case of the Iranian fuel shipments as all of the vessels involved are owned by Iran, which is already subject to as comprehensive a set of sanctions as the US has been able to devise. In the case of Iran there is not much more that the US could sanction.
“I wish that it had not gotten there,” US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said in a podcast interview yesterday. “We know that this will happen again, and the world should watch as we do everything we can to make sure that we enforce these sanctions in ways that make sense for the American people.”
Pompeo claimed the US disrupted transit of four additional tankers that loaded Iranian products to transport to Venezuela, but did not offer any proof.
Two of the tankers referenced by Pompeo are the Bella and the Bering. The Bella appears to have turned off its transponder in the Mediterranean, based on shipping data. The Bering changed course near Greece after transiting the Suez canal and is now signalling a delivery in Asia.
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Hegemon tantrums as it’s empire crumbles.
When empires die suicide watch is on.
Sanctions are all it knows, soon it will know how quickly a country can split in pieces, next few months are going to fun to watch. I’m predicting no election, as the place will be in total chaos and meltdown.
Just because such events would rip apart your shithole, they don’t mean too much for the greatest country in the world. The democracy looks like chaos for minions like goblin Putin and his arse wipers.
“… greatest country in the world.”
US Corona Virus Cases : 1,906,658 US Corona Virus Death: 109,244
Keep telling yourself that and click your heels three times. Maybe it will come true.
The cases are EMF as virus is an artificial concept. The death are manipulated figures.
How makes this a lesser of the greatest country in the world?
Having the most preventable Corona Virus deaths in the world due to a failed for profit medical system makes the US the greatest country in the world? Having riots in the streets over the institutional killing of minorities makes the US the greatest country in the world? Having a Gini coefficient closer to that of Sub-Sahara than western peers makes the US the greatest country in the world? I don’t think so and neither does the rest of the world. Face the facts, the empire is dying and no amount of hubris will change this inevitability.
Speaking if Corona, US deaths are proportional with theit population, some EU coyntries that boasted in the past with their medical system, have more deaths per 100k than the US. Related to ‘institutional killing of minirities’ and ‘the empire is dying’ and ‘change is inevitable’ these are wishful sligans from Facebook warriors. Low IQ in the US? Ok so why are they ‘the empire’ if so stupid? Are you a slave with a high IQ? who cares
More sanctions on top of sanctions. With all of these sanctions (Cuba, Venezuela, Syria, Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, etc.) it is no wonder that the US year after year runs trade deficits in the billions of dollars. Those policy makers and economists are really world-class morons. You just can’t fix stupid. I say countries start sanctioning overpriced, hyped US junk. How’s that “buy American only” nonsense doing Mr. Bone Spurs Draft Dodger Trump? (Crickets in the background).
Dying empire sanctioning itself to death.
A nation run by a cabal of degenerates
I hope China invests in a massive shipping port in Syria and both Chinese and Iranian tankers are able to use that as a last resupply point to transport goods with Venezuela. Don’t know the requirements for tankers and container ships.
Iran ignored their national laws and, adhered to international laws. Iran told them, “Fuck off”. Iran will continue trading with Venezuela.
Washington Deep State Department is in a hybrid war with the whole world including their own population.