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  1. #51
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by HermantheGerman View Post
    Have you ever heard of any sane or good Mullahs in any region ?
    That's like saying have you ever heard of any non-Nazi squareheads.

  2. #52
    Thailand Expat HermantheGerman's Avatar
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    Iran-US tensions escalate as Trump imposes new sanctions

    President's move comes after Iran gave nuclear deal partners 60 days to protect it from US oil and banking sanctions.

    The United States announced harsh new sanctions on Iran as tensions surge between the decades-long rivals.

    President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Wednesday to sanction Iran's steel, aluminium, copper and iron sectors, which provide crucial foreign currency earnings for its crippled economy. Trump also threatened further action unless Tehran "fundamentally" changed its behaviour.

    https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/...155445230.html

  3. #53
    Days Work Done! Norton's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by HermantheGerman View Post
    President's move comes after Iran gave nuclear deal partners 60 days to protect it from US oil and banking sanctions.
    Puts the screws to remaining partners of the nuc deal. I believe they will fold and Iran will have to walk back their position on going back to negotiate a new deal. A deal which will include stopping all misslie testing and funding of "terrorists".

  4. #54
    Thailand Expat raycarey's Avatar
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    i wonder what the possibility is of germany holding firm and telling trump to fuck off....something along the lines of "our word means something, and we're going to honor our commitment and continue trading with iran if they honor their commitment on their nuclear program..... we're essentially going to wait you out...because odds are, you're gone in 18 months and the next person in the WH will go back to where we were a year ago. if you do happen to win re-election, we'll deal with it then".

  5. #55
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    Quote Originally Posted by raycarey View Post
    we're essentially going to wait you out...because odds are, you're gone in 18 months and the next person in the WH will go back to where we were a year ago.
    As if it was his personal decision (and liking), others in his camp (please no names here) would surely honour the deal...

  6. #56
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    BREAKING NEWS

    EU ‘rejects ultimatums’, says it’s still committed to Iran nuclear deal after Tehran scaledown

    Published time: 9 May, 2019

    The EU is committed to preserving the nuclear deal with Iran and helping the nation dodge US economic sanctions, and will not bend to any ultimatums, top European diplomats say. Earlier, Tehran suspended some of its commitments.

    On Wednesday, Tehran announced it will no longer be bound by some terms of the 2015 nuclear agreement, known as the JCPOA, and may enact a further rollback in 60 days, unless European signatories deliver on their promises to Iran. EU members pledged to create a special financial mechanism which would allow business to be done in Iran without being on the radar of the US, which threatens anyone dealing with the Iranians with economic sanctions.

    Top EU diplomats said on Thursday they remain committed to the deal but will not bend to any ultimatums.

    “We strongly urge Iran to continue to implement its commitments under the JCPoA in full as it has done until now and to refrain from any escalatory steps,” the officials said in a statement.

    We reject any ultimatums and we will assess Iran’s compliance on the basis of Iran’s performance regarding its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPoA and the NPT (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons).

    https://www.rt.com/news/458848-eu-re...ltimatum-iran/

  7. #57
    Thailand Expat jabir's Avatar
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    should start using bitcoin, eh?

  8. #58
    I'm in Jail

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    The grid and a virtual wallet. That's why I got guns.

    Sucks to live in the real world.

  9. #59
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    BTW, why the Iran should not be allowed to have a nuclear programme - whatever the programme comprises? As a matter of fact, they are under strong supervison of IAAC, aren't they?

    And on other hand, there are so many countries in the world they do possess a nuclear programme - while the IAAC know almost nothing what their programme comprises - and we (the "international community") are not at all concerned, are we?

  10. #60
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by HermantheGerman View Post
    Have you ever heard of any sane or good leaders in any religion

    FIFY.

  11. #61
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    Quote Originally Posted by Norton View Post
    Iran will have to walk back their position on going back to negotiate a new deal. A deal which will include stopping all misslie testing and funding of "terrorists".
    That's what Trump wants but Iran will not do that.

  12. #62
    . Neverna's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Klondyke View Post
    BTW, why the Iran should not be allowed to have a nuclear programme - whatever the programme comprises? As a matter of fact, they are under strong supervison of IAAC, aren't they?
    This is not about Iran. It's about the US wanting to be a dominating superpower, wanting to dominate the world.

  13. #63
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Neverna View Post
    This is not about Iran. It's about the US wanting to be a dominating superpower, wanting to dominate the world.
    Oh don't be so naive.

    If Iran gets nuclear, it will make a bomb. If Iran gets bombs, Saudi and the UAE will get bombs.

    It exponentially increases the chances of some fundamentalist lunatic getting their hands on one.

    And they don't give a flying fuck about the nuclear deterrent. They blow themselves up, remember?

  14. #64
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    my predictions: Trump will try to go to war with Iran as a news distraction and to please his jewish masters

  15. #65
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    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda View Post
    It exponentially increases the chances of some lunatic getting their hands on one.
    Does that include The Donald?

  16. #66
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cisco999 View Post
    Does that include The Donald?
    Thankfully I'm quite confident the generals won't let that happen.


  17. #67
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    It's all about Trump wanting to undo something his predecessor accomplished. His jealousy for Obama drives a lot of what he does. He really has no real strategic objective other than to obliterate Obama's legacy and secondarily to aquiesce to anything Bibi wants.

  18. #68
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    Quote Originally Posted by Humbert View Post
    It's all about Trump wanting to undo something his predecessor accomplished. His jealousy for Obama drives a lot of what he does. He really has no real strategic objective other than to obliterate Obama's legacy and secondarily to aquiesce to anything Bibi wants.
    bingo, that said, Obama legacy was thin, so at least he doesn't get to do any real long term damages, but the little progess that Obama did, he is there to destroy it

    you really have to blame Obama at the end, he started that shit, didn't do enough, and handed over his legacy to Trump by supporting Hillary

    not so smart at the end, sadly

  19. #69
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    Iran’s move on JCPOA triggered by Washington’s rash policy, says Kremlin


    MOSCOW, May 8. /TASS/.


    Iran’s decision to suspend some of its obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear deal is caused by rash steps taken by Washington, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday


    MOSCOW, May 8. /TASS/. Iran’s decision to suspend some of its obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear deal is caused by rash steps taken by Washington, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.

    "President Putin has repeatedly talked about the consequences of rash steps in relation to Iran, that is, the decision taken by Washington," he said. "We see that these consequences are starting to ensue."

    "The situation is serious, it is clearly provoked by previous decisions [of Washington]," Peskov continued. "Putin had said that ill-conceived subjective decisions lead to unjustified pressure on Iran and provoke further undesirable steps, which we are witnessing now."

    Peskov reminded that Putin has repeatedly reaffirmed Moscow’s commitments to the JCPOA, highlighting the importance and indispensability of this deal.

    The Kremlin spokesman added that Moscow would maintain contacts with its JCPOA partners in order to save the deal. "It goes without saying that Russian diplomats will continue to discuss this topic [the JCPOA] with their partners, including (their) European partners, in order to maintain the agreement’s viability," he stressed.

    Peskov added that it is too early to talk about potential sanctions against Iran due to the decision taken by Tehran. "Right now, we just need to assess the situation properly and exchange the positions on this matter," he said. "We need to analyze this situation and to establish contacts along the lines of foreign ministries," Peskov stated.

    The Kremlin official added that Putin does not plan to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who is currently on a visit to Moscow.

    JCPOA situation

    On Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that Tehran would partially suspend its obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The issue at hand is two clauses of the deal concerning the suspension of the sales of Iran’s enriched uranium and heavy water. Rouhani added that other parties had 60 days to honor their commitments concerning the banking area and on oil trade issues.

    On May 8, 2018, US President Donald Trump announced that Washington would unilaterally quit the landmark accord inked in 2015 aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear program. Anti-Iranian sanctions, including a ban on purchasing oil, were reinstated in November.

    Under Washington’s pressure, Tehran was disconnected from the SWIFT international payment system, which hindered financial relations between Iranian businesses and their foreign partners.

    In January 2019, Berlin, London and Paris said in response they would set up a special payment mechanism with Iran, which would enable them to keep doing business with Tehran bypassing US sanctions. To do so, the three countries created a company called Instex, but the mechanism has not been put into practice to date.

    http://TASS: Russian Politics & Dipl..., says Kremlin
    A tray full of GOLD is not worth a moment in time.

  20. #70
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh View Post
    Iran’s move on JCPOA triggered by Washington’s rash policy, says Kremlin
    Well no fucking shit, sherlock.


  21. #71
    Thailand Expat Pragmatic's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Plan B View Post
    There's nothing unusual about a carrier group floating around in the Gulf.
    The last thing the US are going to tell us in where a carrier group is. A carrier group is an automatic nuclear strike target.
    Last edited by Pragmatic; 10-05-2019 at 07:07 PM.

  22. #72
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    Iran circles wagons as Trump’s B Team beats war drum

    Posted on May 9, 2019 by M. K. BHADRAKUMAR





    (Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani addressing the cabinet meeting, Tehran, May 8, 2019

    "If there can be a lethal game of Russian roulette in international politics, this is it — what just began on May 8, the first anniversary of the United States’ withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal of July 2015.

    Iran exercised “strategic patience” for one full year, as President Hassan Rouhani noted, upon the request from the five remaining signatories of the nuclear deal — Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China. That period has run out.
    Not only have the five powers failed to persuade the Trump administration to retract from its decision, but Washington has gone on a warpath of sanctions and deployment of a formidable strike group to the Persian Gulf.

    On the other hand, the five big powers couldn’t ensure that Iran got the full benefits out of the nuclear deal as envisaged under the nuclear deal, despite its full compliance with the terms of the deal, which has been acknowledged repeatedly by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Only Russia and China observed the commitments given to Iran as signatories, while the three European powers merely paid lip service.

    Against this sombre backdrop, Rouhani announced on Wednesday that if the remaining signatories fail to provide Iran with the merits stated under the deal in the next 60 days, Tehran will stop complying with its nuclear undertakings in consequent phases. For a start, Iran will cease to observe the capping on the volume of enriched uranium and heavy water reserves that it is permitted to hold.

    After 60 days, if Iran’s grievances are not still addressed, it will no longer observe the restrictions on the 3.6 percent level of uranium enrichment and will resume work on its heavy water reactor at Arak. Iran has underlined that it is not withdrawing from the nuclear deal but is only taking reciprocal measures as provided under articles 26 and 32 of the agreement regarding the eventuality of one or more of the six powers failing to observe the treaty. Rouhani has specified Iran’s concerns particularly in the oil industry and the banking sector, which Washington has targeted with sanctions.

    Rouhani said that after 120 days from now, even if Iran starts enriching uranium beyond the 3.6 level and resumes work in Arak, it will give yet another 60 days for negotiations before taking additional unspecified (which could be by the yearend). Meanwhile, Iran will react strongly against any move by the western powers to approach the UN Security Council for reimposition of the old UN sanctions.

    Russian roulette is a game of chance where players spin the cylinder of a revolver with a single bullet in turns, put the muzzle against their head and pull the trigger. The player has 16.67% chances of firing a bullet into his head if there is one bullet in the 6-chamber revolver. Each player starts by spinning the cylinder, thus each player has an equal chance of being killed by the bullet.

    Quite obviously, it’s an insane game that US President Trump started on May 8 last year. With Iran’s response by way of reciprocal measures, round two is complete. Russia and China are watching helplessly from the sidelines the insane game being played out.

    The two immediate measures Iran has announced — non-observance of the capping on the volume of enriched uranium (300 kg limit) and heavy water reserves that it is permitted to hold — is not a unilateral step. It is a fait accompli that the Trump administration created last week by sanctioning other countries against holding Iran’s excess volume of enriched uranium or trading in heavy water reserves.



    ( IR-40 heavy-water reactor site at Arak)

    Suffice to say, the crunch time comes after 60 days from today if Iran is forced to take the additional measures of resuming the work on the Arak Heavy Water Plant and enriching uranium beyond the 3.6 percent level. The Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi had warned in December that Iran has the capability to restore 20 percent uranium enrichment.

    On the sidelines of a visit to the Fordo nuclear facility, Salehi said in December, “We currently have 1,044 centrifuges in Fordo (near Qom), and if the establishment wants, we will restart 20-percent uranium enrichment in Fordo.” He added, “I would like to warn that this is not a bluff; I have kept my word whenever I’ve said something. Now I’m emphasising once again that if the establishment wants, we can easily return to the 20-percent enrichment, and meet the country’s needs at any level and volume.”

    That was the first sign that Iran was beginning to lose hope that European powers would show the political will to stand up to Trump’s bullying and defy the US sanctions so long as Tehran continued continued to abide by the terms of the nuclear deal. This is where the problem lies. Traditionally, UK took the lead in the western camp on Iran affairs, but today London is sunk deep in the Brexit morass, while France and Germany on their own simply lack the courage to stand up to Trump. As for Trump himself, he is beholden to the Jewish and Zionist lobbies with Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE pulling the strings from behind the scenes in a shadow play that has bearing on his own campaign in the 2020 US presidential election.

    A big question can be put whether Trump himself wants another Middle Eastern war. The danger lies in sleepwalking into a war. (See my earlier blog Iran to even the nuclear score with US.) Iran’s reflexes will be guided by certain key factors.

    First and foremost, Tehran has no illusions that the Islamic Revolution faces an existential challenge from the US and Israel. Capitulation is a non-option. The nuclear issue is an alibi to overthrow the 40-year old Islamic regime in Iran, which the US had wanted to strangle in its infancy in the cradle for the dangerous precedent it was setting in the region — nationalist resistance to the western political, economic, military and cultural hegemony of the Muslim Middle East.

    Interestingly, even as Rouhani was preparing to address the nation, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif headed for Moscow to meet his counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday. Both symbolically and substantively, it carried a big signal that there is an unspoken geopolitical dimension to what is unfolding. The fact of the matter is that the US’ Iran project is a multi-vectored enterprise.

    It is at once about the Arab Spring and the New Middle East, Syrian settlement, Middle Eastern oil and gas, Iran’s rise as regional power and Israel and Saudi Arabia’s uncertain future as about Russia’s assertive return to the Middle East and its consolidation in post-war Syria and ensuing realignments in the Eastern Mediterranean (such as the Russia-Turkey entente), which pose obstacles to the US’ regional strategies.

    However, a most decisive factor in the Iranian calculus is about Trump’s own agenda. Quite obviously, Trump’s preoccupation is going to be his re-election bid and anything that can help it is welcome — support from the Jewish billionaire financiers like Sheldon Adelson, for instance. Having said that, Trump will also be extremely wary of negative influences. A botched-up military operation in Iran (Operation Eagle Claw) virtually sealed Jimmy Carter’s re-election bid in April 1980 in analogous circumstances.

    Today, Trump’s decision to quit the 2015 nuclear deal has no supporters in the western world and is doggedly opposed by an influential body of domestic opinion. With Joe Biden as Trump’s Democratic contender, trust Iran policy to surge as a top campaign issue in the 2020 election. Simply put, Trump faces a tough electoral battle where every segment of opinion counts and a new Middle Eastern war will horrify the American opinion.

    On top of it, if in the heat of the battle, perchance an aircraft carrier sinks or if the Straits of Hormuz gets closed or if oil prices cascade, Trump alone will have to face the music. The point is, Iran is a large country and its nuclear sites are vastly dispersed. A massive bombing campaign is needed to destroy them, which will inevitably trigger a full-scale regional war with catastrophic consequences and in all probability sink Trump’s presidency.





    Zarif talks about the famous ‘B Team’ that is pushing Trump into a war with Iran — Bibi (Netanyahu), MBS (Saudi Crown Prince), MBZ (UAE Crown Prince) and Bolton (US national security advisor.) In common perception, the B Team is credited with having magical powers over Trump. But is it really so?

    Trump doesn’t convey such an impression, certainly. When the crunch time comes, Trump indeed has a way of taking decisions that are in his self-interests or can make or mar his presidential legacy. North Korea is a telling example. Trump’s 90-minute phone call to Vladimir Putin last week too shows his lone ranger approach. Bolton threatened imminent US intervention in Venezuela and damned the Russians for supporting Nicolas Maduro but Trump steps in to mollify the Russians, hold out assurance that there is no US intervention and actually seek Putin’s help.

    Looking ahead, therefore, Zarif’s consultations with Lavrov on Wednesday signal that Iran will coordinate closely with Russia its future moves. Significantly, at the joint press conference with Zarif in Moscow yesterday, Lavrov went out of the way to justify Iran’s role in Syria. The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov blamed Washington’s “ill-conceived subjective decisions” subjecting Iran to “unjustified pressure” and triggering the current face-off. He said the priority now is to “maintain the (Iran nuclear) agreement’s viability” and to this end, Moscow will plan its diplomatic moves."

    https://indianpunchline.com/iran-cir...eats-war-drum/
    Last edited by OhOh; 10-05-2019 at 07:21 PM.

  23. #73
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    triple post
    Last edited by OhOh; 10-05-2019 at 07:26 PM.

  24. #74
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    Iran says leaving nuclear treaty one of many options after US sanctions move

    "DUBAI - Iran said on Sunday it could quit a treaty against the spread of nuclear weapons after the United States tightens sanctions, while an Iranian general said the US Navy was interacting as before with an elite military unit blacklisted by Washington.

    Tensions between Tehran and Washington have risen since the Trump administration withdrew last year from a 2015 international nuclear deal with Iran and began ratcheting up sanctions.

    Earlier this month, the United States blacklisted Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and demanded buyers of Iranian oil stop purchases by May or face sanctions.

    "The Islamic Republic's choices are numerous, and the country's authorities are considering them ... and leaving NPT (nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) is one of them," state broadcaster IRIB's website quoted Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as saying.

    Iran has threatened in the past to leave the NPT, as US President Donald Trump moved to scrap the 2015 deal with world powers.

    President Hassan Rouhani and some senior military commanders have threatened to disrupt oil shipments from Gulf countries if Washington tries to strangle Tehran's oil exports.

    Iran has also threatened to pull out of the 2015 deal unless European powers enable it to receive economic benefits.

    The Europeans have said they would help companies do business with Iran as long as it abides by the deal, but Tehran has criticized what it sees as the slow pace of progress on a promised payment mechanism for Iran-Europe trade.

    "The Europeans have had a year but unfortunately they have not taken any practical measures," Zarif told IRIB."

    Iran says leaving nuclear treaty one of many options after US sanctions move - World - Chinadaily.com.cn

  25. #75
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    double post

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