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.
——————————————
Unlike our adversaries including the Integrity Initiative, the 77th Brigade, Bellingcat, the Atlantic Council and hundreds of other warmongering propaganda operations, this blog has no source of state, corporate or institutional finance whatsoever. It runs entirely on voluntary subscriptions from its readers – many of whom do not necessarily agree with the every article, but welcome the alternative voice, insider information and debate.
Subscriptions to keep this blog going are gratefully received.
Choose subscription amount from dropdown box:
This exactly the circumstances with Japan pre WW II. Iran has not behaved rationally in the past; they’re being economically crushed with sanction..Stop being silly!
“This exactly the circumstances with Japan pre WW II.”
you’ve lost there Rich burg?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Sino-Japanese_War
This exactly the circumstances with Japan pre WW II.
sorry, typo
you’ve lost me there Rich burg?
More recently a false flag operation was used to justify the start of the US mass bombing of Vietnam. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Tonkin_incident
@ Rich burg June 14, 2019 at 12:07
Very similar, indeed. FDR, the military and Big Business wanted America to get involved in WWII, but the US public didn’t want to get involved in another European war – only 16% were in favour. So FDR’s National Security Advisor came up with an 8-Point Plan, of increasingly damaging sanctions against Japan, that he believed would almost inevitably lead to a Japanes strike against America.
FDR agreed to it, stipulating that Japan had to make the first strike. After a year of thses increasing sanctions, Japan took the bait, and attacked. The US had all the Japanese Naval Codes broken, and tracked the Japanese Task Force across the Atlantic (they did not maintain radio silence) but did not warn the two Commanders on Pearl.
2,400-odd US personell were sacrificed, as well as a good part of the Pearl Harbour Fleet, but the ‘trick’ worked – the day after the attack, a million men signed up under arms (Robert B Stinnett, ‘Day of Deceit’).
Had Japan not attacked Pearl, I suspect the Yanks would have pulled a False Flag, claiming they did.
Just like they seem to be doing with Iran.
As soon as I saw this on the news about Iran being responsible I said to myself “no way”, the same response as when Syria was supposed to have used gas against its own people when it was seen that they were beginning to win the war against the West. However the media will promote the west’s propaganda as usual.
The crap about Assad having no reason to use chem weapons, because he’d already defeated the opponents that the weapons were used against, would not be beliieved if it were used to justify Pinochet’s decades long terrorising opponents, after having taken over Chile.
Or the same trick used by Suharto, Franco, ir any other Authoritarian thug.
And please don’t give me the accurate but irrelevant truth about how despicable and deceitful and murderous the West are, and how often they murder with chemical weapons.
That doesn’t diminish the facts of whether or not terrorising the Syrian population now will discourage further rebellion against Assad in the future
not because he’d already defeated the opponents–because it would give the u.s. justification to intervene in a war he’d already won. afaik pinochet didn’t use wmd’s either. but you already know that, i suspect.
There was international intervention, at the behest of the Russians to prevent actual ‘boots on the ground’ by removing all of the Syrian chemical weapons. This was verified independently but DID overrun the initial deadline. During this time their were no reported chemical attacks.
This was ALL OVER the news at the time and it took many months so I’m surprised you missed it..
@ Gary June 14, 2019 at 21:09
Yes, there was indeed international; intervention, like the later cruise missile strikes, based on lies.
Syria had indeed got CW’s, but not for internal use. They were Syria’s strategic weapons against Israel, who has nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, as well as vastly superior conventional forces.
By use of the original False Flag claims, the West was able to remove these strategic weapons form Syria, leaving them without a strategic deterrent capability against Israeli aggression. Russia knew damn well that the attacks/hoaxes had been a False Flag, but in order to stop the West attacking Syria, they arranged the removal and destruction by the West of the CW’s.
That is silly – Assad’s war with terrorists is 5 years old, but we are talking about 5 incidents of which 3 have been disprove by the OPCW and a 4th (proved) was reliant on the White Helmets first removing the evidence and then delivering it in er, Turkey (with OPCW breaking its own rules and accepting evidence not in situ).
@ John June 14, 2019 at 13:34
Not only does it make no sense at all for Asad to have used CW’s , there is much credible evidence (as well as logic) that the West’s mercenary headchopping proxies actually both used and hoaxed some CW events, along with their PR outfit the ‘White Helmets’.
You seem to be forgetting something when you compare Assad with Pinochet, Suharto and Franco – the US hadn’t made draconian threats to them to stop their barbarities or else. Quite a big difference. And of course, all three were America’s ‘friendly Dictators’.
You seem to be overlooking sarcasm.
Irony Alert!
Syria DID use gas against its own citizens. Why are you supporting a human-rights abusing fascist regime that has caused carnage by attacking its own citizens? (I think you should ask the Kurds).
James really, you need to broaden your knowledge horizons and question things more. In fact, read recent revelations by a BBC journalist who said it was clearly a false flag and Syrian Government were not responsible – he was there. It has all been disproved. Please, do keep up
The ships waterline seems to be much higher in the blurry video than in the photo’s of the burning Kokuka Courageous
Moon of Alabama appears to think this is an IRG attack. The logic is a little tenuous imho. The tankers are carrying refined petrochemical product and by some circuitous route of logic this proves a tit for tat response to the latest ramp up of American sanctions targeting the state owned Iranian petrochemical giant. “If my petrochemicals don’t pass the straits of Hormuz then neither does anyone elses.” Nah don’t really buy that.
I thought MoA had rowed back on that one somewhat. To quote:
“That Iran might have this motive does not mean or prove that it is responsible for today’s attack. Risking to sink two foreign tankers in international water is not what an otherwise cautious Iran would typically do.”
And I haven’t looked through to see if he has added later comments.
b hasn’t updated or added anything since yesterday..
Actually, he has:
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2019/06/iran-decided-to-put-maximum-pressure-on-trump-here-is-how-it-will-do-it.html#more
MofA would have a good argument if Iran came out and said it did it as a threat to anyone who blocks its oil.
But Iran denies involvement, so it is hard to see how it could have done this as a threat.
Moreover the ships attacked a) Japanese owned, a buyer in the past, and b) managed by a shipping company that has done business with Iran a lot in the past but now says it won’t any more.,
Another falsr flag action designed to goade Iran and provide a Gulf of Tonkin reason to go on to futher hostilities and war.
This is as obvious as a Hershy bar, and one ought to have a look at the positions of the 4 dolphin class subs that have been seen in the Persiam gulf of late.
In that case at least a North Vietnamese ship fired on an American destroyer, thinking it was involved in an attack on the North.
‘Fraid not.
No, the entire ‘Tonkin Incident’ was fabricated by the US Govt. The US ship in question was NEVER fired upon. It IS eerily similar to what has happened here.
NB this isn’t a conspiracy theory, the papers on this have been released now and are available for the public to read.
False flags are neither new, nor are they a thing of the past. They are a political tool to get support and provide justification for that which cannot be justified. Politicians lie about EVERYTHING..
“one ought to have a look at the positions of the 4 dolphin class subs that have been seen in the Persian gulf of late”
That represents the majority of the Israeli flotilla (five in service another on the way I believe). If those four were indeed Israeli vessels then they must have travelled a very long way to get there (from Haifa on the Mediterranean coast). A singleton has however been known to dock at Eilat and even one submarine spotted on four separate occasions would be sufficient to confirm the presence of Israeli capability in the area.
@ Doodlebug June 14, 2019 at 14:30
I understand one has regularly docked at Diego Garcia, and one was reported off North Korea.
If they haven’t already, I reckon they will pay a call at a West-Coast US base before long. At sea refueling would be a doddle for them.
As one commenter has already suggested, the likelihood that sonar equipment covers the area around Iran is very high, and I imagine Iran have good modern, indigenous anti-submarine resources, including supercavitating torpedoes which travel a damn sight faster than a Dolphin Class sub.
They would not want to lose one of their ‘Sampson Option’ German-supplied toys, would they?
@Paul Barbara
I was picking up on an observation by ‘Nevermind’ above. Your reports of these vessels movements confirm their reach, but I would be cautious regarding ‘suggested high likelihoods’ and ‘imagined anti-submarine resources’. I take your point about Israel not wanting to lose 20% of their operational capacity at a stroke, but the submarines in question are capable, at least as I understand it, of delivering aerial munitions as well as personnel, not simply torpedoes of one variety or another.
Like yourself no doubt I am watching and waiting for any class of reliable evidence based explanation of this affair – something which clearly will not emanate from Washington DC for very obvious reasons. Until then I have a fairly open mind, although not open to the accusation of Iran, whose coastline is on the port side of the incidents (the explosions were to starboard); a trivial detail perhaps, but who would think send their saboteurs the long way around?
Try here.
https://www.myshiptracking.com/
Notice how : The Guardian view on the US and Iran: on a collision course – Editorial …isn’t open to comments.
The editor-in-chief will be on the Inner Party’s official employee of the month shortlist if they keep this up.
There are comments on the politics blog, which have not been moderated.
After Hillary Clinton’s shock defeat the guardian played a huge role fanning the anti-Russia hysteria that’s now turned into the Russophobic paranoia gripping US and UK elites. Their journalists decry ‘conspiracy theorists’ all the time, yet then support any old cooked up rubbish involving Russia, Syria, Iran, Maduro or Assange, as if it’s irrefutable truth. Especially if it supports their fantastical absurd collusion narrative.
The Graun does not have a unified approach. There’s quite a variety of lines. Some of their journalists are churnalists, like Martin Chulov or Luke Harding, and they’ve obviously given in to govt instructions, but there are other still independent thoughts.
do these independent thinkers point out the hypocrisy and lies of the guardian? how independent are they?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/14/pro-kremlin-media-spread-false-eu-nazi-roots-european-elections
This story in the guardian today is an example of the current paranoia.
Quote : [Julian]King said there was an increasing trend for social media accounts with a pro-Russian government line to use a “customised and carefully targeted approach… to amplify divisive content that is already out there to try and have an effect locally”.
“social media accounts with a pro-Russian government line” – in whose world is that verifiable evidence of Russian anything? You can bet were these Russian IPs posting comments, he’d be saying so. We’ve got paranoid politicians turning on their own people simply for disagreeing with their positions. He mentions ‘one’ twitter account – one twitter account is capable of changing the course of EU history apparently? What’s wrong with ordinary Russian citizens having/expressing an opinion on world events anyway? How do they know if they are private opinions or the govt line?
“…there was an increasing trend for social media accounts with a pro-Russian government line to use a “customised and carefully targeted approach… to amplify divisive content that is already out there to try and have an effect locally”
That means think for themselves as far as I can tell.
“…the anti-Russia hysteria that’s now turned into the Russophobic paranoia gripping US and UK elites.”
No such thing. It’s merely part and parcel of the NATO ginned-up ploy that was already planned for when NATO took their 2014 shot at gaining the Russian naval base at Sevastopol and failed.
Those elites are generally patient but their antics as of late have only further exposed their long range goal of regaining access (for themselves) to the Russian resource wealth they had during the 1990s as Russia starved.
@ Goose June 14, 2019 at 13:31
Like the Times Editor who played the same role pre-WWI.
I hear everything here but it would not be the first time the IRG had a rush of blood to the head and went after shipping in that area (2004 and 2007 spring to mind). Also this from last August 2018
https://en.radiofarda.com/a/khamenei-shows-toughness-in-persian-gulf-under-new-commander/29452798.html
Radio Farda is an American propaganda station and exile anti-regime mouthpiece. Not a very reliable source.
I included it as a reference to one of the senior military figures in the Iranian Navy at present. I suppose that it is not behind the bounds of possibility that this is a false flag operation by the Iranians? (I am not trying to clear the Americans, just that I remain sceptical of Iranian good faith. The Iranians seem to run to their own agenda most of the time, as of course, nearer to home, so do the French…..)
“I suppose that it is not behind the bounds of possibility that this is a false flag operation by the Iranians? ”
It is outside the bounds of possibility of this being an Iranian false flag, because if the Iranians did do it, it would not be a false flag – unless you can point to some actions by the perpetrators to point suspicion at a party other than Iran.
As it is we have a nation which is a proven liar, a proven and repeated purveyor of mass violence and military aggression versus Iran.
It is hard to see which party has more credibility here.
Of course people who have long memories will recall you pointing to media reports about Syrians manufacturing novichoks after Salisbury, along with your trade mark “I don’t suppose it is beyond the realms of possibility….”
Nothing wrong with raising questions of course, but don’t you ever get a sensation of “Fool me 78 453 times, shame on you. Fool me 78 454 times, shame on me”?
Lots of things are not beyond the bounds of possibility ……..sorry if I used the wrong expression with false flag. What I meant to say what if the missiles, drones etc were indeed fired by the Iranians so that when accused by the Americans, they could deny it, turn it round and blame the Americans saying they had falsely accused them and done it to discredit Iran. A double-bluff maybe? Middle Eastern politics are murky waters, many strange motives lurk there.
It’s a cr*p story about nothing. The only occasions where Western personnel were taken into custody was when they violated Iranian territorial waters, and the Iranians had complete right to detain these people for illegal action.
Actually I don’t currently have a view who is responsible. In that respect I differ from most people here who share Iran’s guide of the US and allies as the Great Satan, responsible for all the evils of the world. Unlike the morally unchallengeable Iran.
* view not guide
” Unlike the morally unchallengeable Iran.”
You have a bizarre view, a presentation which doesn’t correspond to that of anybody here.
And yes, the US is responsible for a lot of the evils of the world, more than anybody else at any rate.
Laguerre: “You have a bizarre view, a presentation which doesn’t correspond to that of anybody here.”
Indeed. If these neo-cons and their apologists don’t mis- (or mal-)represent their opponents, they would have no way of criticising them at all.
@ Mary Pau! June 14, 2019 at 16:56
Iran hasn’t attacked another nation in some two hundred years, and I believe that was finagled by British double-dealing.
And the same with Afghanistan.
Whereas the US has been attacking other countries and expanding it’s territory at neighbours and others’ expense, virtually since it’s inception as a Republic.
And they have been pulling the False Flag gambit since the outset, first against Mexico, then the Spaniards in Cuba (and that’s not taking into account all the dirty double crosses it pulled on the Indigenous American Natives.
So there is a very good reason Iranians refer to the US as the Great Satan – they deserve it.
If you read non-politically correct histories, instead of the homogenized ‘Victor’s Histories’, you would probably see things differently, re the US, British Empire and more.
Interestingly people don’t seem to be buying the narrative that Iran is behind this. Well at least people on the Internet.
Not sure why the scepticism when compared to the public opinion on Assange and Syria. I guess the Iran story hasn’t has the same amount of propaganda, years on end.
If evidence emerged proving conclusively it was false flag aimed at framing Iran. There’d be a news blackout by the BBC , the story would disappear without a trace across all UK MSM, that’s the sort of country we’ve become.
On the other hand evidence that it wasn’t a ‘false flag’ operation is about as likely as finding an unsinged passport among the debris of 9/11. Oh, hang on….
I dunno about that ,but I think the collaboration between intelligence agencies and journalists is incredibly harmful to any free society and the truth. Journalism used to be ‘off limits’ and the spooks respected the boundaries in order for a society to call itself ‘free’ , but now with things like Integrity Initiative we risk sleepwalking into totalitarianism.
I mean, how can any investigative journalist working on a big story proceed if they don’t know who their colleagues are associated with and talking to?
Agreed. Another worrying indication is the readiness of the Metropolitan Police to dance to the government’s tune. I was introduced to the concept, ‘Separation of Powers’ as a student of the British Constitution in the early seventies. Half a century later and it’s redundant.
The CIA’s Operation Mockingbird prigram to manage media started in the early fifties.
One can never get anywhere important in today’s journalism unless one just repeats what the secret governments say.
I’m surprised no one here has picked up on this confirmation on what’s happened to the guardian
From Matt Kenard
“Guardian’s deputy editor @paul__johnson joined state censorship D-Notice committee (run by MOD) after Snowden revelations in sop to British spooks. In board minutes, they thank him for being “instrumental in re-establishing links” between UK mil/intel and Guardian. ”
https://twitter.com/dckennard/status/1138493594728304640?s=21
Goose, oh so true. However, I take issue with ‘we are at risk of walking into totalitarianism’ – we are there and, a sober thought, if another Tory Government is elected, we will definitely be a totalitarian state within days!
‘Apparently disputing the US version of events, Yutaka Katada, the president of the ship’s operator, Kokuka Sangyo, said members of the crew had reported “that the ship was attacked by a flying object”’-BBC NEWS
Perhaps fired by the same american drone that captured the video recording?
It’s an interesting development alright, but open to interpretation. Were they attacked by a ‘flying object’, which then launched another ‘flying object’, or was the ‘flying object’ that struck the ship despatched from a considerable distance and from a platform that wasn’t itself flying?
A bit like the provocative naval encounter a week or so ago. When the US Navy accused the Russian vessel of an aggressive approach, but miraculously had a plane or drone in the air filming the moment and crew on the deck equipped with cameras with long tele-photo lenses capturing the encounter.
It appears all those US military experiments in clairvoyance is beginning to pay dividends
@ Sean Lamb June 14, 2019 at 15:14
But according to sea laws the Russian craft was in the right. The Yanks said they were ‘doing something with a helicopter’ so had to travel in a straight line, rather than give way as required by the laws of the sea.
I think the actual US attitude is that, since the Pacific Ocean (like all other bodies of water) belongs to them, the Russian ship was there on sufferance. The least it could do would have been to keep well clear of the Pacific Ocean’s owners.
@Cynicus
The New York Times is running that story, so I wonder how long before the orange buffoon labels it “fake news”?
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/14/world/middleeast/oil-tanker-attack-gulf-oman.html
Thank you. I would not of picked up the NYT story for some hours without your link.
Meanwhile Yutaka Katada, the president of Kokuka Sangyo, the owner and operator of the Kokuka Courageous said he believes the vessel wasn’t damaged by a mine, but by some kind of projectile like a torpedo. The crew of the vessel apparently saw a “flying object” just before a second blast on board.
“A mine doesn’t damage a ship above sea level,” said Yutaka Katada
“A mine doesn’t damage a ship above sea level,” said Yutaka Katada.
Nor does a torpedo. A missile on the other hand…..
Your country fell on all previous absurde accusations and took part in destrucion of many countries and misery of meny nations. Why should you do something different this time?
British politicians and media have learned hard lessons after being fed a pack of bull in the run up to the catastrophic regime changes in Iraq and Libya. There is no chance they will now lend propaganda support to wild Boltonian schemes against Iran or Venezuela. They are far too wise, proud and honourable to keep making the same disastrous error over and over again.
unless these actions aren’t viewed as errors…
I admire your optimism. If politicians learn anything from past mistakes then it is to lie more effectively.
Greg Park ? good one!
Greg say what?!!!!! They have, as you now know thoroughly endorsed the USA line and also, if you hadn’t noticed, some months ago imposed sanctions against Venezuela when they had absolutely no reason to do so. Jeremy *unt once again, showing himself for the liar that he is saying there was evidence of ‘stuffed ballot boxes’ in the Venezuelan General Election when Venezuela not only do not have any ballot boxes but the Carter Institute has stated it is the safest voting system in the world.
“in other news, u.s. sources inform us that iran has attacked the maine, has saddam’s wmd’s and routinely dumps babies out of incubators”.
Crew say tanker was attacked by a drone. Americans release footage taken by a drone of an Iranian vessel coming to the aid of the stricken tanker.
What a mystery, wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in tortilla this all is.
That sounds about right, if limpet mines had been used they would have been attached below the waterline, both for effect and for the simple fact you would see them a mile off. The holes halfway up the ships side certainly look like damage from a drone launched hellfire missile or similar, anything like a shore based anti shipping missile would have done exponentially more damage.
@ Sean Lamb June 14, 2019 at 15:05
Or wrapped in Anna Arden’s broken condom.
Muy bueno, senor! Ay caramba…
Trump is so reckless. Why arent EU stepping up now, some of them did it before Iraq war. Shameful behavior!
Trump Accuses Iran of Committing Attack on Oil Tankers promise response
https://sptnkne.ws/mEbT
There’s one glaring thing wrong about that US video of Iranians allegedly removing a limpet mine from that tanker, too many spectators. Even if they did plant the mine, no crew in their right minds would gather round as their colleague made safe a live mine from a bobbing boat.
Exactly, why the need for an entire boatload of people for a stealthy operation like this?
Everything is contradictory about this incident. We know it cannot be torpedoes which hit the ships, but how would someone place magnetic mines on a ship like this which has excellent all round vision, without being spotted?
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/oman-tanker-attacks-dramatic-distress-16516646
Here is an enhanced video from the Twitter feed of the always alert “Bellingcats”. As someone asks – “would you really try to remove an unexploded limpet mine, with your bare hands whilst your tiny craft is bobbing up and down like a cork?”
https://twitter.com/bellingcat/status/1139469060545101824
As even Bellingcat says, “But we still have to confirm this is the Kokuka Courageous.”
@ Andyoldlabour June 14, 2019 at 15:59
And why on earth put a mine half way up the hull? To limit the damage?
Paul Barbara
Exactly so, placing a mine there would do hardly any damage. On the images I have seen, the triangular dark shape seems to have been photoshopped in. Even in the “enhanced” video you cannot see what is going on.
I am monumentally unimpressed with the grainy IR video supplied by CENTCOM.
Think about it: this is a limpet mine that has been primed to explode, so as far as the Iranians are aware it will go BOOM at the slightest touch.
They should know, they put it there yadda yadda yadda.
Yet there is an entire cricket-teams-worth of Iranians just lollygagging around in the back of a glorified tinnie as one of their mates reaches up and plucks it off the hull like none of them have a care in the world.
Bizarre.
Scottish Friends. Sorry to be off topic but this is more urgent.
So far there has been no violence by you at Rockall. Violence breeds violence. Back off now.
If it starts it can lead to unintended consequences. There can be no turning back. It cannot be undone.
This can lead to hatred between our countries that will not be forgotten or forgiven for a very long time.
I sincerely ask you to communicate with Sturgeon .
This is too important to be left to an idiot Minister still stuck with Imperial ideas.
SCOTLAND HAS THREATHENED TO SEND YOUR NEWEST GUNBOAT “HIRTA” AFTER IRISH VESSELS. I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THIS BEFORE YOU START.
THERE WILL BE NO TURNING BACK ONCE YOU USE VIOLENCE.
Ireland will exercise its right to fish around Rockall an uninhabited rock with no territorial rights.
Just because some idiots claimed it does not make it theirs. In fact four countries claim some part of it.
Ireland will pursue this under International Law as a civilised Country.
Scottish Boot Boy violence will look very stupid and childish in that context.
Ireland fought the British to a standstill and threw them out when Ireland had no great army. They will not be bullied by Scotland. Make no mistake. THE DAYS OF GUNBOAT DIPLOMACY ARE LONG GONE. You will not fire on Irish boats if they refuse to allow you on board.
Hirta 84 meters 2181 tons 18 knots. Built in POLAND
Irish GBS 90 meters 2256 tons 23 knots. Built in ENGLAND . With 6 others
How ironic
Ireland should not to send its navy with the hardware to turn your vessels into submarines if attacked.
If Scotland wishes to use force we must reconsider whether allowing a free Scotland into Europe would be a good idea. We have a veto. The idea of a free Scotland using force on its neighbour will discourage many Scottish citizens from handing control in a referendum to such an aggressive bunch.
OVER A ROCK. WHY DID YOU START THIS NOW. You wont get Rockall. You will get fuckall.
This is not a question of Scottish pride. If it existed it would insist on a free Scotland and not just a small rock in the atlantic. If you go to Brussels you will see the Irish flag proudly flying with all the others. Where is the Scottish flag ? Is there no Scottish Nation. Have the skilled English colonisers intimidated some, bought others, flattered more, taught others that Scots cannot rule themselves, made some ashamed of Scottish nationality ?? Get off your knees. You have the power to be independent but choose to be a kept poodle because it is financially better. Pay-triotism.
Stand back. Take a deep breath. Take the heat out of this. Discuss this in court like civilised people do.
Do not create a problem where none exists. STOP TODAY BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE .
https://youtu.be/II5tqdp-JUk
The Irish Navy
With the greatest of respect to Scotland, her people and her Government; Scotland is still part of the UK (unfortunately) while Ireland is a sovereign Republic with a small but recently upgraded armed Naval Service.
In the unlikely and disastrous event of a Scottish fishery protection vessel attempting to arrest an Irish fishing vessel at Rockall, an Irish Naval Service vessel would be able to intervene.
I very much doubt if the Scottish Government intend to call in the UK Navy for assistance?
Boindub – excellent post, very entertaining but full of poignant facts.
Received this link from an Irish friend…covering this matter.
https://youtu.be/GqPbUXDNTYY
Ha, ha, nice one JOML, lets hope the Rockall dispute can be settled around a table.
In my opinion I think the Scottish government have been infiltrated at several levels. This sudden urgency to rush out and defend Rockall, after more than thirty years of Irish fishermen catching fish in the region, sound a bit (no pun intended ) well fishy to me.
There’s a more serious matter within the Scottish government about to arise, of which I think the infiltrators must surely be behind.
A once proud nation nuked and still occupied. You like Germany wanted a place in the sun. Both under the boot. Come on, man up ! Make peace with your neighbours China and Russia. Atone for Nankin. Be proud and Independent. Your future lies with your neighbours not with your occupiers.
Since the end of WWII, the US has funded until the 70’s or 80’s Japan, all to make sure Japan never embraced Communism, indeed, Japan’s meteoric rise economically was aided by the fact that after and well beyond WWII it didn’t need to fund a military as the US provided protection for it.
Japan lost quite a bit of territory after WWII including the Kuril island to Russia, of which they’d never been Russian previously, means that Japan will always be uneasy neighbours with Russia, and friends with America for the foreseeable future.
Republicofscotland. The US uses Japan and is in Japan to pressure Russia on its Eastern border. The US has no fondness for Japan having inturned its Japanese US citizens in camps in the war and nuked two of its cities.
Can we really believe anything the current administration says.. Does anyone remember the Gulf of Tonkin incident?
The crew of the Japanese vessel claim to have seen objects flying towards the vessel. The US has released a high quality colour image of the vessel with damage towards the stern and an object attached to the hull about 6ft above water level towards midships. This corresponds to the location where the Iranian vessel (allegedly) was videod (suitably low quality) removing a ‘mine’.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/40362f050779718d189d457b38cfc1d0.jpg
My hypothesis is that a couple of ISIS-style armed drones (probably quadcopter tather than aircraft) were flown towards the vessel. They were equipped with rare earth magnets of sufficient strength to clamp the drone to the vessel hull. The small explosive charge (possibly shaped charghe) was then remotely triggered. For some reason, the second device failed to explode.
Assuming it was Iranians removing the object from the hull, they now have evidence that might positively incriminate the Zionist regime or its sycophants, hence the rapid deployment of the pre-emptive low quality video.
I don’t know the truth about this incident, but all logic and intuition scream false flag. Iran needs a war like a hole in the head, and a Japanese vessel as the Ayatollah meets the Japanese PM? really?
Abduction – a form of reasoning which derives premises from conclusions – it doesn’t cut it these days.
Nowadays, if you wanted to get your population to believe something you’d slowly drip feed ‘new’ supportive information that validates an initial assertion.
It’s a clever new approach, making those trying to debunk, look like, yes, you guessed it …conspiracy nuts.
Goose
Good points, especially the last sentence. Its scary how gullible westerners are and how easy it is for governments that want to create this fervour for lies and ultimately war. How do we stop this powerful tide?
“Abduction – a form of reasoning which derives premises from conclusions – it doesn’t cut it these days”.
Contrariwise, it has become the dominant method of “reasoning” by Western politicians and MSM employees. (I hesitated a while before finding a suitable replacement term for “journalists”, which they certainly aren’t).
Also known as “fixing the intelligence around the policies”, or “creating new realities” while absent from the “reality-based community”.
How proud Dr Goebbels would be, if he were alive to see the triumphs of his intellectual heirs!
Japamese ship owner contradicts US account
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/japanese-ship-owner-contradicts-us-account-of-how-tanker-was-attacked/2019/06/14/7ea347d0-8eba-11e9-b6f4-033356502dce_story.html?utm_term=.f22b34c55177
Amusing how much of our UK MSM is basically ignoring his account, in favour of the US narrative.
More worrying than amusing I should have thought.
I contributed to your court case fund Craig but heard nothing about the outcome? In fact I heard nothing at all. I value your blog, but would like to be informed as to what happened.
—
[ The answer can be found in the blog article entitled The End of the Affair. ]
Craig said- “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. ”
Question is, if westerners in the media, politicians love death and war. Why else this “stupid” attitude we see year after year.
I have to turn off the tele when they start pushing disinformation on behalf of the US government, meanwhile millions watch it and accept it as the reality of events!
Think most people, at least Americans, are suffering from burn out, and put up with it because they cannot do anything about it.
Why arent we in europe do anything? We seems to suffer the same attitude unfortunately.
Fear of the US probably.
Look at Pompeo’s threatening language about stopping Corbyn.
Why didn’t Corbyn demand an urgent meeting with Sir Alex Younger to hammer out what’s going on? Corbyn has security clearance and he could warn Sir Alex Younger a UK version of the Church Committee – the committee that investigated abuses by the intelligence services in the US in the 1970s , can easily be established in the UK if they won’t cooperate.
Just imagine for a moment, were George Galloway leading Labour, and Pompeo had said that about him …
Yes they had their chance, same with Integrity Initiative leak, it didnt lead to anything while Labour could have scored big points.
@ Goose June 14, 2019 at 21:22
Yes, unfortunately the days of the Church Committeeand it’s ilk are gone forever, either Stateside or here.
You can imagine a Sanders, or possibly a Warren presidency not being afraid to investigate such matters were they presented with evidence of serious crimes; like the torture evidence, which Trump not only ignored, but actually appeared to support, saying ‘it works’, then promoted the woman allegedly involved. I think he’s been watching too much 24 and Jack Bauer’s antics.
But I agree, no corporate suit, establishment candidate ever would.
Jack don’t let them kid you!
I have not watched any telly for seven years now, and I know plenty others whom have just simply switched off their telly and are sick of dusting the useless contraption. Only the brain-dead watch the telly news and the Tories, else no one is watching the nice man on the telly telling his bed time stories that is delivered as news bulletins.
fedup
Same here, I keep off from newscasts but sometimes when browsing channels you just happen to come there and then…blood pressure raise rapidly from hearing what they are saying. It is ALWAYS something ignorant and frankly dangerous.
Come now, fedup, there are always nice natural history programmes and sports and quizzes… Just turn it off whenever they start talking about current events.
I think the basic psychological mechanism starts with hatred of some “outgroup”. From there it is essential to ignore any facts that threaten to clash with that unconditional, purely emotional hatred.
Possibly another test of media and public stupidity. Expect the full-on fake alien invasion next week.
OK, ok I confess, it was me. Here is the evidence:
https://twitter.com/dr__channard/status/1139528638209175552
And now we learn a US ‘guided missile destroyer’ was close enough to the scene to ‘come to the rescue’ of sailors from one of the tankers. DEEPLY suspicious.
A fake attack on a friendly ship in water just of the ‘enemy’s’ coast? Does this sound like the Tonkin Incident? Almost exactly. One the one hand they’ve been ‘intelligent’ enough not to attack their OWN ship this time. On the other hand, however, they have attacked, as you say, a Japanese owned tanker on the very DAY the Japanese PM arrives on a diplomatic mission that is in their interests. IF this were true it would require Iran to have acted in direct opposition to it’s interests and risk it’s own security. Some have hinted that it would be likely that the Revolutionary Guard were responsible for the attack. Whilst they do differ in their outlook I just can’t believe they would be able to leave port, cause an International Incident of a scale that could see war, then return without being seen.
The question everyone should ask is Cui Bono ie who benefits, whether financially or otherwise. Well, we’ve seen that the oil prices have immediately spiked. So who benefits from that? Well, any major producer of crude oil which DOESN’T use the Strait of Hormuz. The largest producer of crude is actually the US, so they benefit immediately. In the longer term, whether by increased sanctions or indeed war or conflict in the region again, the US is the beneficiary. There is an established pattern here of false flag attacks on nations like Iran, Syria and even Venezuela (using their own agent provocateur) All sanctioned, all hamstrung by the threat of US military or even Civil War. ALL to the benefit of the US economy. By removing competition the increase the price of their own product massively. And not just for crude, it helps the subsidised shale gas industry too. The business model for that never made sense. Flood the market with shale gas and expect stable pricing? Onl if you take out your competition with sanctions, incite Civil War or actually attack them directly.
Bolton has been pushing for war in Iran for quite some time. This has been long in the planning and with a typical lack of subtlety they attack civilian shipping to give a pretext. The US is little more than a rogue state now. They needn’t worry how badly they covered this up, our press simply regurgitates what the US spoon feeds it…
“Does this sound like the Tonkin Incident? Almost exactly”.
Well, they got clean away with it the first time. Why not repeat a winning formula?
In the words of the Mule Skinner: “You go down there” the keyboard warriors have forgotten that this is no Iraq scenario to show a grainy clip of a model aeroplane and call it evidence and then attack a dilapidated country that had no infrastructure and no credible means of defending itself.
Iran has teeth, and it can deliver a kick worse than a mule, Yanks are stupid but not suicidally stupid, this was just to put the screws on the Japanese for doing business with Iran, and push up the Methanol prices that have been on the up due to the daydreams of those in Yankeestan who believe the economy is about to pick up soon. Huawei CFO in jail/on bail, …… China circuit board firm making the parts for F white elephant fighter …….
Yanks are watching the New American Century go down the pan fast, and they are at sixes and sevens, hence the hurried infantile propaganda that would have been made far more convincingly by a school film and drama project.
Fedup
I agree. How much protection money can you get from the Gulf States just for showing pictures of black smoke from a non-sinking ship? In the war they masked the gas storage tanks with thick black smoke. Is it even possible to believe any audio or video in a digital age?
TV is just a propagator of fake news.
Terrifying. You can’t believe a word they say. Trump is a lunatic and it looks like we’re going to end up with our own pound land trump.
Well, with President Hillary Clinton you might have wound up with sea-to-sea radioactive glass.
With President Trump there is some possibility of survival. Although Americans really ought to start listening to what President Putin tells them.
1. Russia cannot be pushed around, and will defend itself and its allies.
2. Russia’s military means are greater than those of the USA and NATO. (Although it’s quite enough that they are at least equal).
3. “Who would want to live in a world without Russia?” (For the slower among us, that means “Attack us and we will most certainly destroy you”).