Pentagon lying to us about Iran

Submitted by snoopydawg on Fri, 06/14/2019 - 12:54am

Trump admin aims to kill historic talks and strangle Iran with evidence-free accusations

Hell-bent on isolating and suffocating Iran, the Trump administration derailed Japan’s historic talks by accusing Tehran without any evidence whatsoever of attacking oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman.

Since entering office, the Donald Trump administration has been itching for a war on Iran. And it may have found an excuse to justify an escalation of military aggression — or at least kill independent international attempts at diplomacy with Tehran.

On the morning of Thursday, June 13, two oil tankers were allegedly attacked in the Gulf of Oman, just off the coast of Iran. The US government immediately blamed Iran for the incident, without providing any evidence.

The vessels happened to be en route to Japan at precisely the same time that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in Tehran. The first Japanese leader to visit Iran since its revolution 40 years ago, Abe was holding a historic meeting with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei when the incident took place.

This coincidence did not escape Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif, who said, “Suspicious doesn’t begin to describe what likely transpired this morning,” and reiterated a call for regional dialogue and cooperation.

Prominent Iran expert Trita Parsi noted that the timing of the suspicious attacks suggests that there is fear in Washington that efforts at Iran-Japan diplomacy might succeed in softening the de facto US-led economic blockade of Tehran.

Since Trump illegally sabotaged the international Iran nuclear deal (known officially as the JCPOA) in May 2018, the US government has striven to isolate Iran and suffocate its economy by preventing the country from exporting oil, importing food and medicine, and trading with foreign nations.

The Trump administration has even threatened close ally Japan, the world’s fourth-largest consumer of oil, with secondary sanctions, forcing the country to halt Iranian oil imports.

Concerns that the Trump administration has been fretting about a potential Iranian diplomatic breakthrough with Japan were validated by the US response.

Secretary of State and former CIA director Mike Pompeo immediately pointed the finger at Tehran, calling the alleged attacks “a threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation, and an unacceptable escalation of tension by Iran.”

Saudi Arabia and its regime media went into overdrive amplifying the Trump administration’s accusations against Iran.

Many Western corporate media outlets, too, lazily echoed the US government’s unsubstantiated claims. The New York Times, for example, published a breaking piece headlined, “Pompeo Says Intelligence Points to Iran in Tanker Attack in Gulf of Oman.”

The Times did concede, however, that “Pompeo did not present any evidence to back up the assessment of Iran’s involvement.”

And several mainstream media outlets actually diverged from their traditional pro-war stances and expressed cautious skepticism about the secretary of state’s unproven accusations.

Surprisingly, CNN, NPR, and The Independent stressed that Pompeo provided no evidence for his claims.

Bullsh*t!!! How in the hell can this even be considered an attack on the USA? If anything it was an attack on two Japanese ships that were conveniently attacked during the Japanese president's visit to Iran.

Rumors are floating around DC that Bolton is on his way out and I'm betting that this was done before his buttocks hit the door. So let's guess who was actually behind the attacks that are being blamed on Iran. My guesses are the USA, Saudi Arabia and Israel. As always Cui Bono?

In the meantime, longtime US proxy Saudi Arabia stands to benefit from the escalating aggression. Oil prices immediately spiked in response to the alleged attacks on the tankers, enriching oil producers such as the viciously anti-Iran Saudi monarchy.

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Submitted by earthling1 on Fri, 06/14/2019 - 10:08am
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caught REMOVING munitions from side of tanker. Sounds more like sabotaging the sabotage.
Be interesting to know the make and manufacture of whatever was removed from that tanker.

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Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
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Submitted by Fishtroller 02 on Fri, 06/14/2019 - 10:31am

is the government trying to tell us that Iran sabotaged two Japanese boats while they were having meetings to improve relations? We are supposed to believe that the Iranians are that stupid?

Also, the Japanese are claiming that the boat was hit by a flying projectile and not damaged by an attached mine.

What do you want to bet that it was our CIA in an "Iranian" boat out there trying to remove the mine?

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Submitted by gjohnsit on Fri, 06/14/2019 - 11:30am

@Fishtroller 02

We are supposed to believe that the Iranians are that stupid?

Only in America are you expected to believe six stupid things before breakfast.

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Submitted by Not Henry Kissinger on Fri, 06/14/2019 - 12:36pm
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@Fishtroller 02

above the waterline anyway?

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The current working assumption appears to be that our Shroedinger's Cat system is still alive. But what if we all suspect it's not, and the real problem is we just can't bring ourselves to open the box?

Submitted by snoopydawg on Fri, 06/14/2019 - 1:10pm
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@Fishtroller 02

japanese_tanker_1.jpg

Contradicting Trump Claim of Iranian Mine Attack, Owner of Japanese Oil Tanker Says 'Flying Object' Likely Caused Explosions

During a press conference just hours after the U.S. released video footage that purported to show an Iranian boat removing an unexploded mine from the side of an oil tanker, the Japanese owner of that vessel said Friday that the ship was likely damaged by a "flying object" and called claims of a mine attack "false."

"I do not think there was a time bomb or an object attached to the side of the ship," Yutaka Katada, president of the Japanese company that operates the Kokuka Courageous tanker, told reporters in Tokyo.

Katada's account of the attack appeared to contradict the Trump administration's suggestion that Iranian mines were responsible for the explosions that damaged the Kokuka Courageous and one other oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday.

In his first public comments on the oil tanker attacks, President Donald Trump said during a telephone interview on "Fox & Friends" Friday morning that "Iran did do it," pointing to the U.S. military's grainy video footage.

"You know they did it because you saw the boat," Trump said. "You know they did it, because you saw the boat, I guess one of the mines didn't explode and it's probably got, essentially, Iran written all over it."

But Katada said the crew members who were aboard the Kokuka Courageous at the time of the attack believe the vessel was damaged by "something [that] flew towards them."

"That created the hole, is the report I've received," Katada said. "It seems there was a high chance they were attacked by a flying object. The impact was well above the water. I don't think it was a torpedo."

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted Thursday that it is "abundantly clear" that the Trump administration is attempting to "sabotage diplomacy" and "cover up its economic terrorism against Iran," which has included crippling sanctions.

"I warned of exactly this scenario a few months ago, not because I'm clairvoyant, but because I recognize where the B-Team is coming from," Zarif wrote, referring to a group of officials that consists of U.S. national security adviser John Bolton, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

If anything was seen on the video it was Bigfoot or the LochNess Monster. I would think that the mine would have been visible in the grainy and likely edited video. What did you guys see?

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Submitted by Alligator Ed on Fri, 06/14/2019 - 11:11pm
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@snoopydawg @snoopydawg As mentioned in another comment, mines don't explode above the waterline. There are no nautical equivalents of a "bouncing Betty" land mine. Trump's lame, evidence-free accusation is evidence that he still has not learned the Douma lesson. What a clown. Is this going to be a Venezuela 2.0 plot, leading to a war which the US could never win? Sometimes, putting on the brakes to avoid a crash just do the job. This Trumpian brinkmanship likely will end in disaster for either the world or for only Trump. This is the dumbest, most ill-advised imperial adventure yet--even worse than Venezuela 1.0.

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Submitted by snoopydawg on Sat, 06/15/2019 - 1:22am
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@Alligator Ed

Okay dumb question. They were all on board with the Venezuelan coup and I'm betting that they will be on board with this.

Lindsay Graham says that we should attack Venezuela so that we can get some points... sure Lindsay let's just kill a couple thousand people so that people will know that we are serious about doing coups.

The media likes to say that Trump lies to us about everything, but when it comes to war they fall in line every single time.

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Submitted by Linda Wood on Fri, 06/14/2019 - 10:42am

the CIA is assessing that the Iranians want to destroy their relationship with Japan and want to be destroyed by the United States. It's similar to the assessment that Assad wanted to destroy the peace talks that were happening when chemical weapons were used and wanted the war that was destroying his country to continue, just as the talks were bringing the conflict to an end. The fact that these events accomplish what Israel, the United States and Saudi Arabia want is not assessed as conceivable.

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Submitted by WoodsDweller on Fri, 06/14/2019 - 10:53am
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if the CIA has a commodities trading desk. Running guns and dope only brings in so much money, the financial markets are where it's at. Some rumors, an assassination, a little bombing, and your options pop for a quick profit. In and out before anyone knows what's what.

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Submitted by ggersh on Fri, 06/14/2019 - 4:08pm
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@WoodsDweller @WoodsDweller

EDIT:spelling

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Submitted by Azazello on Fri, 06/14/2019 - 11:09am
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false flag should be the presumption until proven otherwise.

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Submitted by Pluto's Republic on Fri, 06/14/2019 - 1:53pm
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@Azazello

I really cannot begin to fathom how stupid you would have to be to believe that Iran would attack a Japanese oil tanker at the very moment that the Japanese Prime Minister was sitting down to friendly, US-disapproved talks in Tehran on economic cooperation that can help Iran survive the effects of US economic sanctions.

The Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous was holed above the water line. That rules out a torpedo attack, which is the explanation being touted by the neo-cons.

The second vessel, the Front Altair, is Norwegian owned and 50% Russian crewed (the others being Filipinos). It is owned by Frontline, a massive tanker leasing company that also has a specific record of being helpful to Iran in continuing to ship oil despite sanctions.

It was Iran that rescued the crews and helped bring the damaged vessels under control.

That Iran would target a Japanese ship and a friendly Russian crewed ship is a ludicrous allegation. They are however very much the targets that the USA allies in the region – the Saudis, their Gulf Cooperation Council colleagues, and Israel – would target for a false flag. It is worth noting that John Bolton was meeting with United Arab Emirates ministers two weeks ago – both ships had just left the UAE.

The USA and their UK stooges have both immediately leapt in to blame Iran. The media is amplifying this with almost none of the scepticism which is required. I cannot think of a single reason why anybody would believe this particular false flag. It is notable that neither Norway nor Japan has joined in with this ridiculous assertion.

https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2019/06/the-gulf-of-credibility/

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Submitted by Pluto's Republic on Fri, 06/14/2019 - 2:03pm
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...we've seen in over a decade.

The ships belong to Iran's friends and strategic allies.

Let's see... which Middle East nation has captured an Iranian fast boat (on some concocted evil pretext) and then never returned it?

@Pluto's Republic

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Submitted by gjohnsit on Fri, 06/14/2019 - 11:27am

for the United States to sacrifice its treasure and the lives of its youth to do the bidding of Israel and Saudi Arabia.

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Submitted by snoopydawg on Fri, 06/14/2019 - 11:50am
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Dear Gawd I wish I was kidding, but I can't tell you how many times I have seen people saying that.

Or Putin would do it, knowing what was needed in the moment

Why would Vlad be telling the Don to do this? It's the wag the dawg scenario of course. The walls are once again closing in on Trump and he needs a distraction. Never mind that he appointed Bolton for just this reason, but then of course Putin told him to do that. Not Sheldon Anderson. Oh no....

Seriously how do people not know that Iran and Russia are allies?

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Submitted by Linda Wood on Fri, 06/14/2019 - 12:37pm

outright tells us the CIA lies, and then expects us to believe Iran would do something suicidal because the CIA told us so.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfrhATD4nM0]

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Submitted by boriscleto on Fri, 06/14/2019 - 12:52pm
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Here Is How It Will Do It

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Submitted by snoopydawg on Fri, 06/14/2019 - 1:30pm
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So much for those reports of the media being skeptical. And of course our lap dawg the UK has decided that yes Iran did the deed. How long until we learn that the mines were made in Russia and just recently delivered?

"Pentagon says that it is likely that it was mine. Likely. Way above the water line. And how would the mine have gotten attached that far above the water line in the first place?

Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.” – Herman Goering
Well f'ck me it sure looks like they are gearing up for war.

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Submitted by Pluto's Republic on Fri, 06/14/2019 - 1:33pm
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Submitted by Linda Wood on Fri, 06/14/2019 - 1:54pm

weighs in:

https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2019/06/the-gulf-of-credibility/

The Gulf of Credibility
14 Jun, 2019 by craig

I really cannot begin to fathom how stupid you would have to be to believe that Iran would attack a Japanese oil tanker at the very moment that the Japanese Prime Minister was sitting down to friendly, US-disapproved talks in Tehran on economic cooperation that can help Iran survive the effects of US economic sanctions.

The Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous was holed above the water line. That rules out a torpedo attack, which is the explanation being touted by the neo-cons.

The second vessel, the Front Altair, is Norwegian owned and 50% Russian crewed (the others being Filipinos). It is owned by Frontline, a massive tanker leasing company that also has a specific record of being helpful to Iran in continuing to ship oil despite sanctions.

It was Iran that rescued the crews and helped bring the damaged vessels under control.

That Iran would target a Japanese ship and a friendly Russian crewed ship is a ludicrous allegation. They are however very much the targets that the USA allies in the region – the Saudis, their Gulf Cooperation Council colleagues, and Israel – would target for a false flag. It is worth noting that John Bolton was meeting with United Arab Emirates ministers two weeks ago – both ships had just left the UAE.

… I cannot think of a single reason why anybody would believe this particular false flag. It is notable that neither Norway nor Japan has joined in with this ridiculous assertion.

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Submitted by HenryAWallace on Fri, 06/14/2019 - 2:13pm

Remember the Lusitania!

Remember the Arizona!

Ship happens. Then, we go to war. It's a venerable historical pattern.

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Submitted by MrWebster on Fri, 06/14/2019 - 2:17pm

Suddenly, the resistance seems to be doubting Trump. Why oh why would Iran attack the vessel? No good reason. Just does not make sense I tellya.

But when it came to Assad and chemical attack against the jihadists, the resistance was absolutely sure Assad did it even though he knew the West would attack him in a war Assad was winning. Funny how that works.

I bet if some democrat president claimed the same as Trump, the former resistance righters will curse Iran.

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Submitted by travelerxxx on Fri, 06/14/2019 - 9:40pm
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So let's guess who was actually behind the attacks that are being blamed on Iran. My guesses are the USA, Saudi Arabia and Israel. As always Cui Bono?

I have a multiple choice quiz for you that answers this question:

Who benefits?

1) Israel
2) Saudi Arabia
3) Both Israel and Saudi Arabia

You shouldn't need too much time to arrive at your answer.

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Submitted by snoopydawg on Fri, 06/14/2019 - 10:07pm
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@travelerxxx

The senate was going to vote against Trump selling them more weapons for their genocidal attacks on Yemen, but this stunt caused them to change their minds. The weapons would never be used to fight Iran and they know that. But some of them will be given to our so called enemies AQ and ISIS which they also know. Oh well. We've been arming them since forever so what else is new?

But yeah I'm thinking that Bibi wasn't unhappy with the false flag. I've been seeing a tweet about someone high up in Israel's government saying that a false flag event is needed.

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