Iranian Tankers Heading to Venezuela Threatened by US

On or about May 17, 5 Iranian tankers, the Clavel, the Forest, the Petunia, the Faxon, and the Fortune began a voyage from the Persian Gulf Star Refinery near Bandar Abbas, Iran, which makes gasoline. The ships then traveled around the Arabian Peninsula and through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea.  They’ve already passed through the Strait of Gibraltar and are nearing Venezuela. The tankers hold about 175,000 tons of gasoline, or 1.5 to 2 million gallons needed by Venezuela due to the egregious sanctions on the Bolivarian nation preventing them refining oil into gasoline.  The nation needs refinery parts and chemicals to make gasoline from oil that are not obtainable under Western sanctions.

Among other needs, gasoline is also crucial for deliver food, medical aid & supplies, and other crucial items around the nation.

In the past, other nations under Western sanctions have helped one another; for VZ, Russia with shiploads of wheat, Cuba with doctors and medical medical supplies, China with help repairing their hydroelectric power grids after what they’d assume was sabotage by the opposition.

According to Tasmin News, the first vessel is likely to be in Venezuelan territorial waters by Sunday.  US Southern Command (SouthCom, headed by Admiral Craig Faller is claiming that their many ships are simply in the Caribbean to interdict narco-traffickers, although the US is claiming (without any facts) that VZ’s Nicolas Maduro is one of them.

SouthCom on Twitter

@Southcom May 19  ‘#SOUTHCOM remains steadfast partners w/ #Colombia as they continue to confront shared security challenges in the region. We applaud their leadership in fighting illicit traffickers & their efforts to strengthen regional partners.’

From the Admiral himself, this word-salad ‘Our Neighborhood/ Backyard?:

Odd-bodkins; it used to be a Zoom talkie, like this equally clueless BS one.

Now Iran (including the military commanders and President Rouhani has been warning against ‘creating trouble’ for the tankers, and their rhetoric has become more forceful over time.

As of today:Iran President Warns US Not to Create Trouble for Venezuela-Bound Tankers;  Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned the US not to make the mistake of creating trouble for the Iranian oil tankers carrying fuel to Venezuela, stressing that Iran is ready for retaliation although it will never start a conflict’, May, 23, 2020, tasnimnews.com

““If our oil tankers in the Caribbean Sea or anywhere else in the world get into trouble caused by the Americans, they (US) will run into trouble reciprocally,” the Iranian president said in a telephone conversation with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on Saturday.

He also underlined that Iran will never start a conflict. “Considering a series of measures, the US has created unacceptable conditions in various parts of the world, however, we will never start tensions and clashes.”

“We always preserve the legitimate right of defense of sovereignty and territorial integrity and fulfillment of the national interests, and we hope the Americans would not make a mistake,” the Iranian president added.

Stressing the need for collective cooperation among nations amid the critical situation in the world in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak, Rouhani bemoaned the fact the US government is proceeding with “incorrect decisions and inhumane behavior.”

‘Venezuelan Army to Escort Iranian Tankers Bringing Gasoline to Venezuelans Blockaded by US Sanctions’, May 20, 2020, orincotribune.com

“This was announced by the Minister for Defense, Vladimir Padrino López, this Wednesday. “We have established contact with the Minister of Defense of Iran. All these ships, when they enter our exclusive economic zone (370Km), will be escorted by ships and planes of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB), to welcome them and say to the Iranian people: thank you for so much solidarity and cooperation!” Minister Padrino López said during the inauguration of the Textile Center of the Bolivarian Army, in Fuerte Tiuna.”

The Bolivarian military had deployed short-range missiles on two northern islands in their territorial waters, but has since deployed their (I assume Russian) S-300 buk missile systems as well.”

From telesur english May 22, 2020: “The Venezuelan ambassador to the United Nations (U.N.), Samuel Moncada, reported on Friday that his government alerted the agency to the “threat of imminent use of military force by the United States (USA) “in the face of the forthcoming arrival of Iranian ships carrying fuel for the Caribbean country.

In the letter sent to Guterres, the diplomat recalled that the imposition of unilateral coercive measures imposed by the Donald Trump Administration prevents Venezuela from acquiring the necessary inputs to refine national crude oil and convert it into gasoline.

Likewise, he explained that “U.S. officials have publicly admitted that they are exerting pressure on companies to refrain from supplying gasoline to Venezuela,” actions that have been denounced with relevant evidence before the U.N.

“Ships with British, Dutch, French and American flags are bordering the coasts of our country, with a hostile and aggressive attitude, under the pretext of an alleged operation to fight drug trafficking. This, while at the same time threatening the imposition illegal of a naval blockade, “denounced the representative of Venezuela to the U.N.

Lastly, Moncada urged the U.N. Security Council to adopt the necessary measures so that the Trump Government puts a definitive and immediate end to its “warmongering and criminal policies,” in order not to generate an increase in the tensions that they place in it threatens the peace, security, and stability of the region.”

This is primo: ‘Bolton Looking for a Job: Now Talking About Humanitarian Iranian Gasoline Tankers Heading to Venezuela’, May 20, 2020, orinocotribue.com

“This Tuesday, John Bolton, who served as Donald Trump’s security adviser, threatened Iran for trying to bypass the illegal naval blockade imposed by the US regime on Venezuela, by sending five tankers loaded with gasoline to alleviate the fuel shortage in Venezuela caused by inhumane sanctions imposed from the United States on the oil industry.

“Iran’s attempt to oppose US priorities must be met with resolve,” Bolton wrote on his Twitter account.”

Trump Claims to Have Venezuela ‘Surrounded’ as Iranian Tankers Approach’, May 23, 2020, orincocotribune.com


(© Juan Carlos Hernandez/AP Images)

Yes, Boss Tweet, Mafia Don Pompeo; we know: birds of a feather: maximum pressure until this corrupt Maduro Regime…dies a painful death.  So kind of you, Mr. Secretary, to be offering $300 million to help the starving masses in the nation.  Now why don’t you demand that the Bank of England surrender the nation’s gold to the Maduro administration?  Or have you already handed it off the self-declared ‘Interim President of Venezuela, Juan CIA Guiado to fund your new Bay of Pigs op? Wanted Dead or Alive: Nicolas Maduro!

a brilliant looking man, isn’t he?

here, too (h/t: b at MoA)


How convenient that he and his homie Leopoldo Lopez are safely tucked away in Colombia after their most recent, quite…er…kinetic… failed coup détat.

And last, but not least: ‘Revealed: Secretive British unit planning for ‘reconstruction’ of Venezuela’, John McEvoy, May 13, 2020, thecanary.co

“Documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act have exposed a secretive Foreign Office unit aimed at the ‘reconstruction’ of Venezuela. The files also reveal private discussions between Venezuelan opposition figures and UK officials, detailing proposals for the promotion of British business after a planned coup.

UK support for coup attempt in Venezuela

Over the past 16 months, the UK government has consistently supported Venezuelan opposition figure Juan Guaidó’s attempts to topple the elected government of president Nicolás Maduro.

In late January 2019, for example, the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) urged the Bank of England to grant Guaidó access to £1.2bn of Venezuelan gold reserves.

In January 2020, Guaidó travelled to London to meet with UK government officials and shore up international support for his flailing efforts to overthrow the Venezuelan government.”

And a week later: “I was Outraged”: Venezuelan Foreign Minister Responds to Secretive British “Reconstruction” Plans (Interview)’ orinocotribune, May 20

Perhaps you’ll send  some good thoughts for the ships to arrive safely in Venezuela?

(cross-posted from Café Babylon)

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wendy davis's picture

dunno why the Instagram or whatever it's called won't play (it's been happening frequently lately), but here's the url to the tweet.

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Cassiodorus's picture

A pandemic is so kewl! Now we can get away with all sorts of stuff we would never try if there weren't a pandemic on!

Oh and:

200521-donald-trump-mask-low-quality-cover-ac-945p_d1a9995dbd5e1ae48fdfa5715b4e4d18.nbcnews-fp-1200-630.jpg

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"The war on Gaza, backed by the West, is a demonstration that the West is willing to cross all lines. That it will discard any nuance of humanity. That it is willing to commit genocide" -- Moon of Alabama

Not Henry Kissinger's picture

Commercial transport laws allow supplies to be delivered to a blockaded populace despite armed encirclement by a hostile power.

Except in this update we're the hostile power.

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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?

CB's picture

@Not Henry Kissinger
by the US. Don't forget that it is THE 'Indispensable Nation'.

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Same high forehead, same intense desire to stuff children in cages (subjective observation, of course). The oligarchs have had a hard-on for Venezuela ever since Hugo Chávez embarrassed the incompetent Bush II administration again and again. (Well, more like since forever, because no number of destroyed lives measures up to the value of having cheap bananas.)

The Bay of Piglets also didn't help the stature of Tropical Trump in Brazil, whose COVID-19 case count passed Russia for second place. And unlike Russia, the Brazilian death toll will blast into second place as well. (They may already have as many unreported cases as we do in the States.) Venezuela--so far--has largely escaped the COVID-19 scourge, if they have reported current data.

Iran doesn't intimidate easily, either. Trump will huff and puff and bloviate, but when it comes to confrontation, he (as the folks at Electoral-vote.com put it) has a "black belt in blinking." Let us hope this continues.

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wendy davis's picture

or will the empire yield to common sense?

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CB's picture

the Fortune which is just off the coast of Venezuela right now. The others are from fifty to a thousand nautical miles from Gibraltar headed east. Unfortunately the US military ships are not tracked by this service.
https://www.vesselfinder.com/?imo=9283746

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wendy davis's picture

@CB

than this one, but i'm not able to find the earlier one used by...one of the news agencies.

and no, south com ain't sayin' where there ships are.

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CB's picture

@wendy davis

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wendy davis's picture

@CB

seem to be arguing, but i'd clicked thru to your maritime tracking link, and it seems you may have had to log into to isolate the 5 tankers?

also, i'd just bingled to see which US navy (southern command) ships are in the caribbean, and sure, only to intercept 'narcotics'. ships w/ these weapons are de rigeur in that process, of course:

The Freedom-class littoral combat ship USS Detroit (LCS 7) sails in formation with the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Lassen (DDG 82), USS Preble (DDG 88) and USS Farragut (DDG 99) while conducting maritime security operations in the Caribbean, May 11, 1020.

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wendy davis's picture

@CB

but i can't make it out. sputnik had the first tracker with thanks, but: First Iranian tanker crosses into Venezuela’s economic zone as US ships spotted nearby - tracking data, RT.com, this evening

and this great photo of iranaian FM zarif (who's been pretty quiet on twitter, as has rouhani) and nicolas maduro (and simon bolivar...):

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CB's picture

@wendy davis
(May 24, 2020 03:26 UTC) 15.5nm off San Juan de Unare.

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wendy davis's picture

if i'd forgotten this rather Big Deal, i apologize. capriles is another major figure in the opposition force (i almost think that abby martin had met with him once upon a time):

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wendy davis's picture

but i'd prefer not to talk about covid-19 death numbers at all. i'd allowed myself to be drawn into it on my satirizing HRH prince charles diary a few days, and had ended up leaving the thread far earlier than it went on. for me, this is existential: the western empire against its enemies.

@OrinocoTribune One of Venezuelan warships (PO-11) deployed to escort Iranian tankers...with Telesur and VTV journalists aboard. At this moment according to the tweet the first Iranian tanker should be already in Venezuelan waters....https://t.co/NALcQK52ZV

لی‏ @haj_naghi 4h4 hours ago 'The Iranian people do not leave the people of Venezuela alone. Together against enemies'

@WHNSC · May 21 'The importation of Iranian gasoline is an act of desperation by the corrupt & illegitimate Maduro regime. It will not stop Venezuela’s chronic fuel shortages or alleviate the suffering that Maduro has inflicted on the once prosperous people of his country. https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2020/05/20/venezuela-ar...

@ WHNC May 18 ;Few financial lifelines remain.

Our maximum pressure campaign, which includes financial & economic sanctions, will continue until Maduro’s tyrannical hold ends.

The humanitarian & economic crisis endured by Venezuelans is the fault of 1 person–Maduro.

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@wendy davis . . . and the destructive sanctions do the damage. All for what? So the United States of Exxon can steal the oil?

Maduro doesn't have the charisma or the economic prowess of Hugo Chávez, but to say we had any benevolent motives in Bay of Piglets foul-up just incites ridicule. And it only solidifies Maduro's power. If we treated Venezuela like any other country and Maduro continued to tank the economy, his people would vote him out. (Unlike in the US, the candidate with the most votes becomes president.)

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Cassiodorus's picture

@SancheLlewellyn is that Maduro is "tanking the economy" and the comprador elites in Caracas and the global embargo have nothing to do with it. In other words, a load of sh*t.

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"The war on Gaza, backed by the West, is a demonstration that the West is willing to cross all lines. That it will discard any nuance of humanity. That it is willing to commit genocide" -- Moon of Alabama

wendy davis's picture

@Cassiodorus

March 7, 2019 Press Release from silicon valley ro:

Today, Rep. Khanna with fifteen progressive colleagues, sent a letter to Secretary of State Pompeo rejecting threats of U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, supporting diplomatic dialogue to resolve the political crisis there and opposing broad economic sanctions that hurt ordinary Venezuelans.

The letter condemns the Maduro government’s anti-democratic actions, human rights abuses and destructive economic policies but strongly expresses concerns that the Trump Administration’s misguided policy could make the situation even worse for the Venezuelan people.
Polls from respected pollster Datanálisis show that the vast majority of Venezuelans are opposed to foreign intervention as a means of removing Maduro and instead want a negotiated solution to the crisis.

The letter urges support for a mediation process advocated by the Pope, and governments of Mexico and Uruguay, to promote dialogue instead of civil war.

“The Administration’s aggressive actions and rhetoric play into the Venezuelan government's narrative that the country’s problems are the result of U.S. intervention, helping shore up Maduro's support base and diverting attention from what is fundamentally a domestic problem,” said Rep. Khanna. “We respectfully call Sec. Pompeo to cast off threats of U.S. military intervention in Venezuela and build a dialogue to resolve the political crisis there.”

The 15 co-signers of the letter are: Reps. Pramila Jayapal (WA-17), Mark Pocan (WI-2), Raul Grijalva (AZ-3), Henry C. "Hank" Johnson (GA -4), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Ilhan Omar (MN-5), Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ayanna Pressley (MA-7), Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-7), José E. Serrano (NY-15), Tulsi Gabbard (HI-2), Karen Bass (CA-37), Danny K. Davis (IL-7) and Jan Schakowsky (IL-9).

from the lengthy full text version:

The Venezuelan government's own economic mismanagement and misguided economic policies are in large part to blame for the horrific economic crisis that has unfolded in the country. Yet today Venezuelan government officials can claim that the U.S. is waging an economic war and laying groundwork for direct confrontation, which threatens chaos and mass migration from Venezuela that will be felt throughout the region. The sanctions are already hurting ordinary people and contributing to the ongoing outbound migration of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans, which could also result in a dramatic increase in refugees to the U.S.

how very 'progressive' of them.

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@wendy davis

It's nice to see Tulsi Gabbard's name on something.

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wendy davis's picture

@FuturePassed

it's better than nothing because tulsi gabbard's name is on it, that's fine in a way.

but the gist is that these 'progressives' have gone to great lengths to lie about maduro six ways from sunday, then say 'end any more sanctions lest the world believe the sanctions as why the ordinary citizens are in need'. the NationalProgandaRadio take in a nutshell.

abby martin actually went to VZ to report and found that oh, my, yes, it was the opposition doing all the killing of Maduro supporters. as well as setting fire to colleges, commodity warehouses, etc. and once again, it was colombians robbing the warehouses and taking the goods back to...colombia, where guaido hides out when things get too hot for him in venezuela.

i do understand that it takes a lot of effort to follow the ins and outs of coup détats, including the successful one against evo morales.

do you remember what was in those 'aid convoys'? guns and barbed wire for Guaido's opposition. that what USAID (a CIA cutout), and the OAS has been totally on boar with all of it,

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@wendy davis
It's just that I feeling they locked her away in a dungeon under a volcano somewhere.

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wendy davis's picture

@FuturePassed

they must have let her out of the dungeon, though, as she's tweeting and on her way back to deecee to vote:

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wendy davis's picture

@SancheLlewellyn

hugo's charisma factors before, myself, and agree. and he made some newbie mistakes in is panic, including privatizing some of the nation's oil.

but yes, Rexxon's (literally) oil is being disputed in the offshore regions between VZ and guyana, as well. has the issue gone to court? i vaguely remember it having been so...

obomba had begun the chant: "the government of VZ is a direct threat to US security' which boss Tweet then began to chant (with a li'l help from hi homies). it is a direct threat as was dilm'a (even though she'd later bent a knee toward privatization before she was putsched), eve, same deal, but he hadn't thought to check out his military for pale faced enemies, and so on. The Pink Tide Must Be Reversed! (including oboma's kinda travel détente w/ cuba.)

remember avaaz (over 7000000 members!)thought shapers?

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wendy davis's picture

elija magnier on twitter has a lot going on with this flotilla, and cites lots of history involved.

nothing new from orinoco tribune. tonight's closing song will be the playing for change band (world peace thru music) cover of ratafarian peter tosh's 'jah guide'. the rasta called the Western Imperium: 'the Great Satan, Babylon'. ; )

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyX82K7CgoE]

g' night; see you in the morning.

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snoopydawg's picture

and is warning Iran not to mess with its ships. I think it’d be funny to watch as Russia and China played war games right off one of our coasts. The hubris and arrogance of this country to go around the world and play in other’s backyard and then warn them to leave us the F alone. Anyone read yesterday’s MOA essay? Hubris.

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

wendy davis's picture

@snoopydawg

the US is Occupying many nations, creating enemies wherever its military/CIA/agents provocateurs land (or hide). it shouldn't surprise me that the US navy is busy in the persian gulf (is that NorthCom?) as it never stops running 'military exercises' (or worse) near those 'fake spratley islands china built' in the south china sea, claiming "freedom of navigation!!!"

gawd's blood: DJT was right about one thing: ours IS a #ShitHoleNation.

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the tankers have arrived.

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wendy davis's picture

@Funkygal

docked in port, and telesur's reporting that the others will arrive 'within hours', although the other four were strung out a bit last i'd seen.

Fortune Tanker Shows Peace Diplomacy Can Upset US Geopolitics, telesur english, 45 mins ago:

This historic event did not go unnoticed in the Middle East press which emphasized that the arrival of the Fortune challenges “Trump administration sanctions targeting the two US. foes,” the New Arab reported, adding that the oil tanker “encountered no immediate signs of US. interference as it eased through Caribbean waters toward the Venezuelan coast."

The Bolivarian Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza also congratulated the Fortune's arrival and recalled that his country and Iran have always maintained relations of respect and solidarity.

"Today we see the fruits of the multipolar world, the fruits of Bolivarian diplomacy for peace and South-South cooperation," Arreaza said.
"Iran and Venezuela have always supported each other in times of difficulty. Today the first gasoline ship arrives for our town. Thank you, Iran."

it's about 7 ft of text, but good on them; you'll know all the signatories.

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CB's picture

@wendy davis
It's currently (May 24, 2020 15:37 UTC) 80nm from Caracas traveling at 13.6 kn. It should arrive in about 5 hours.

https://www.vesselfinder.com/?imo=9283746

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wendy davis's picture

@CB

must be confused, or else i'm reading the text wrong (entirely possible, given my track record). maybe it's a Time difference?

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CB's picture

@wendy davis @wendy davis
(Telesur reporter I mean)
My link is in real time. It's now about 75nm away from Caraballeda.

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CB's picture

@wendy davis
Nautical miles from Caracas:
Forest 521
Clavel 2728
Petunia 2906
Faxon 3156

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wendy davis's picture

@CB

and may they all arrive safely.

lol: i just read that 'an analyst' had said that the gasoline on the tankers will last for about 2 weeks...

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CB's picture

and no heavy oil from Venezuela, the US has to import oil from Russia to keep it's Gulf coking refineries in operation.

These are the refineries that produce all the special chemicals and fuels needed for a modern economy to function. They cannot run on 100% US produced fracked oil which are mainly used for gasoline and diluent for the Canadian black goo.


Can’t Live Without You? Why US is Stockpiling Russian Oil Amid Overproduction Crisis on Market

May 24, 2020
...
According to data from maritime monitoring services, seven oil tankers carrying up to 6 million barrels of Russian oil are on their way to the US right now. This is more than the 3 million barrels that the US bought when the crisis started to emerge in February. Analysts believe that refineries took the risk of buying Russian oil despite diminishing storage capacities at the beginning of April, because it was their chance to obtain the much needed Urals blend at the best price.

As experts explain, many American refineries were designed to work on so-called heavy oil blends, such as Venezuelan ultra-heavy crude and Russian Urals, and not light ones, such as Brent or WTI, extracted in US shale plays. Washington, however, crippled the heavy oil market by killing exports from two major producers, Venezuela and Iran, with sanctions, leaving Russia as one of the best options for American refineries.
...

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wendy davis's picture

@CB

isn't the US breaking its own russian sanctions? fascinating regarding: practicality rules.

(sorry to be so long; i'd been still answering comments on my recent 'don't trust the Intercept' piece, then i'd conked out cold, and had gotten stuck in the dream time.)

i suppose the telesur corespondent must have been over-anticipating, then. she was so exact about it all.

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enhydra lutris's picture

@CB

Russian rail to be loaded onto Russian tankers. I do not know if it is still the case of not, but that was long the best route for Kazakh oil to reach the rest.

be well and have a good one.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

CB's picture

@enhydra lutris
the CPC blend from Kazakhstan.

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enhydra lutris's picture

@CB

info.

be well and have a good one.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

CB's picture

@enhydra lutris

The biggest problem is that the US upgraded over half of their refineries to work with the really heavy oils. The light sweet crude plays were running out in the early 2000 (Peak oil) so the oil companies spent tens of billions, along with lots of financing from the government, redesigned the refineries to use the cheap heavy oils from Canada, Venezuela, Mexico and Russia. Then fracking turned the entire thing upside down. There was now a glut in light oils and a shortage of heavy.

The collapse of the Keystone XL to Canada and the Venezuelan oil sources fucked the American coking refineries (2/3 of all refineries in the US). Other world supplies of heavy oils were already taken by Europe and China.

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CB's picture

the Iranian tankers.

Tracking The 5 Iranian Oil Tankers Heading To Venezuela

...
The U.S. has not voiced any intention of stopping them, however. Despite this the Venezuelan military appears to be on high alert and is conducting a ‘comprehensive naval exercise’ called Bolivarian Shield 2020.
...
The absence of U.S. forces on the scene however suggests that all five will get to make their delivery.
...

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wendy davis's picture

@CB

subject line earlier, i thought you may have plugged the names of the navy ships into one of your trackers. i'm sure there must be a boatload (so to speak) of conjecture, misinformation, disinformation, etc. about all of it.

WATCH Iranian tanker brave rough seas while carrying 1st oil shipment for Venezuela (VIDEO), 24 May, 2020, RT.com

"The video, though, has been deleted from the embassy’s Twitter page.

The embassy later published another clip, which was filmed from a helicopter and showed the tanker escorted by a warship from Venezuela’s navy.
.......................
Still, ‘Fortune’ and four other tankers were followed by a US cargo ship, according to vessel-tracking data from Refinitiv Eikon service."

now a 'cargo ship' sure isn't one of the destroyers, and i sure wish i spoke spanish. me, 4 years of french, lol. i even tried one-night-a-week classes in spanish, teacher canceled every other one. laughing now cuz there's no spanisnh version of wendy, so she called me 'ventosa' or...windbag.

https://twitter.com/Eiranencaracas

on edit: guess this one doesn't need much translation:

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enhydra lutris's picture

be well and have a good one.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

wendy davis's picture

@enhydra lutris

and yeppers, we're just livin' the dream here. hope you and yours are as well.

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wendy davis's picture

until all 5 iranian tankers are safely docked in port, we really won''t know if wiser heads prevailed...or not. DJT's military advisors may have reminded him that in event of war, china and russia would have to join in, as the oppressed by the US nations have made a de facto solidarity pact in search of a multipolar world.

they also may have reminded him that after the US assassination of the iranian quds force major general Quassem Soleimani, all had said: 'we will not forget, we will not forgive'.

so i guess we'll have to wait until tomorrow for news. good night. who knows what tomorrow may bring? good news, i hope.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuOaewwSOS0]

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wendy davis's picture

'Iranian tanker DOCKS at Venezuelan port after braving stormy waters to deliver 1st oil shipment despite US blockade’, 25 May, 2020

The Iranian-flagged tanker ‘Fortune’ has arrived at its final destination, docking at El Palito port on Venezuela's northern coast. The vessel is the first of five Iranian tankers that set sail for Caracas loaded with fuel.

Satellite images showed the tanker completing a berthing operation at El Palito refinery with the help of two Venezuelan tug boats shortly after midnight on Monday local time.

In order to ensure that the ship reached Venezuela’s shores without any incident, the tanker was escorted by the Venezuelan Navy as it passed through the nation’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Several hours before the much-awaited arrival of the ‘Fortune,’ the ‘Forest’ became the second tanker from the mini-flotilla to cross into Venezuela’s EEZ. The vessel was reportedly met by the country’s navy as well.

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wendy davis's picture

so far...so good. so: a quasi-WOOOT!

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wendy davis's picture

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enhydra lutris's picture

@wendy davis

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

wendy davis's picture

@enhydra lutris

a shock that a US judge ruled so, but if you click thru and read, it's downright piracy one more time, even down to the IMF investor state disputes ruling.

and as i remember it, colombia is 'under the umbrella' of NATO, or 'an aspiring member', maybe, but will be defended by that august body, either way. N/SATO?

SouthCom has divisions from bolsonaro's brazil, as well. gets to feel like the deck is stacked against the 'pink' nations. evo morales isn't even being permitted by janine añez's fascist regime to run for a senate seat in bolivia. plus this rubbish:

our town has one gas station: not CITGO, luckily.

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wendy davis's picture

@wendy davis

anya parampil w/ aaron mate: (breathtaking revelations)

On @aaronjmate I explain how @ignandez
helped prove Crystallex's case against Citgo w his actions as Venezuela's US-recognized "Attorney General"

He failed to disclose that he previously testified on Crystallex's behalf

the short version on Twitter won't play; she directs to the full version on youtube; she's brilliant so far:

The Grayzone's Anya Parampil explains how the Trump-backed right-wing opposition has essentially liquidated Venezuela's most valuable foreign asset, Citgo, enriching US and Canadian corporations.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1WwYOzEqY0]

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wendy davis's picture

let's see if this will work to show the subTweets explaining it all:

nope; i'll dd a couple more:

@MV_Eng 1h
As a result of Operation Gedeón, the role of Iván Duque's government in the failed armed incursion against Venezuela has been revealed. Colombia serves as an operations center for mercenary activities and anti-Venezuelan terrorists groups.
(with a photo of duque and trump

@MV_Eng
Holmes's confession is not surprising, since Colombia has been involved in the latest attacks against President Maduro and the stability of Venezuela: the attempted assassination with drone attacks in 2018 and the failed attempt to forcefully deliver "humanitarian aid" in 2019.

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wendy davis's picture

5 hrs ago, caraacas time:

Both Iranian tankers that have arrived at the coasts of Venezuela, carrying fuel to meet the demand of this South American country, started fueling gasoline Monday at the northern state of Carabobo in the Palito refinery.

The Fortune, docked on Saturday, and the Forest, which arrived in the early hours of May 25, are two of the five tankers already in the country. The tankers were escorted by ships and planes of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) due to the threats received from the United States.

Along with the Petunia, Faxon, and Clavel, the ships are carrying gasoline and other equipment that will restart the fuel production at the El Palito refinery, one of the most important oil processing complexes in the nation.

Oil Minister Tareck El Aissami, present at the arrival of the Fortune on behalf of the government of Venezuela, thanked the government of Iran for sending the ships and stated that their berth expresses the countries self-determination.

"We are very fortunate to have Iran in these times," said the also Vice President of Economy, in a small ceremony at the port, adding that "deeds like this should be a normal thing, not an expression of resistance to the hegemonic claims of the U.S."

El Palito oil refinery, which had to reduce its operations as a result of the blockade, supplies Venezuela's central-western area through pipes that go all the way to Valencia and then spread to the rest of the country.

celebrating the others' safe arrival isn't altogether wise, but i do think that Trump blinked.

signing off for the night, this Outcast video may be the funnest thing i've ever witnessed. good night all:

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

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