Something is going on in the Gulf …

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The following tweet is from the state propaganda organ, one which Trudeau’s brother worked for or still works for, Press TV:

CNN: Suspected attack on tankers in the Gulf of Oman

Where all of this is taking place

The two tankers were targeted Thursday morning in the Gulf of Oman, the same waterway where four commercial ships were attacked last month.

 

The attacks have ratcheted up existing tensions in the region, where Iran has long been at loggerheads with Saudi Arabia and the UAE — most recently over the civil war in Yemen.

(The Yemeni war is a war of manifest destiny by Iran, using their proxy, the Houthis as they would, Hizb’allah in the regions near Israel and abroad.)

Now The Express, which expressly says it was torpedoes:

The US Navy’s Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet assisted after receiving two distress calls.

Responding to the incident, the Prime Minister’s spokesman said Britain is seeking to establish the facts of what happened while the UK Maritime Trade Operations, which is part of the Royal Navy, urged “extreme caution”.

Front Altair, owned by Frontline, was carrying 75,000 tonnes of petroleum product naphtha and was headed to Taiwan.

Click over to the Express article, it’s the most informative so far.

UPDATE: Hannity 

 

Thank you Johnny U., Wrath off Khan, and all who sent in materials on what could be a flashpoint event.

 

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

18 Replies to “Something is going on in the Gulf …”

  1. Speaking as a non expert on Naval weapons the damage seems to be too high on the ship to be a torpedo. Torpedo’s hit below the water line and the damage seems to be above the water line. My guess is a missile of some type.

    • More information is coming out, from what I have read the Japanese ship took damage above the water line but later suffered a second explosion that some are saying was a torpedo. The pictures I have seen are showing damage to one ship (I don’t know which one) above the water line.

      Since both ships are suppose to be damaged on the side there is danger that the cargo of one or both will or possibly already have caught/catch fire. Since the crews of both ships have been evacuated this implies that the danger of a cargo fire is very real.

      There is a report that a retired US military officer is saying that if we go to war we will lose the war. Since the man is living in one of the Gulf States it is a good possibility that he has converted to Islam and is either trying to spread disinformation or thinks that we will not fight the war to win the war. Trump has already said he won’t play that game, if we fight a war we will to whole hog to win and destroy anything and everything we have to so we can achieve victory. What is complicating this is the Dems and their resistance.

  2. (Richard: Note how they are blaming the US for the increased tensions)

    TANKER INFERNO Gulf of Oman attack – US says Iran ‘highly likely’ behind ‘torpedo’ attack on American-linked oil tanker and bombing of second ship

    THE US has dramatically stoked Middle East tensions by claiming it is “highly likely” that Iran is behind the “torpedo attack” on an American-linked oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman today.

    Both the Front Altair and the Panama-flagged Kokuka Courageous – which was reportedly bombed – burst into flames and were forced to evacuate in the troubled region this morning.

    https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9284293/explosions-oil-tankers-gulf-of-oman-iran/

  3. Tankers targeted near Strait of Hormuz amid Iran-US tensions
    By JON GAMBRELL2 hours ago

    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz were damaged in suspected attacks on Thursday, leaving one ablaze and the other adrift and forcing sailors to evacuate in the latest mysterious incident involving tankers amid heightened tensions between the U.S and Iran.

    The U.S. Navy, which rushed in to assist the stricken vessels, and the ship’s owners offered no immediate explanation on what weapon caused the damage to the MT Front Altair and the Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Iran, though all believed the ships had been targeted in an attack. The Front Altair burned for hours afterward, charring half of one of the vessel’s sides and sending thick black smoke into the sky.

    Last month, the U.S. alleged that Iran used limpet mines to attack four oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port of Fujairah. Iran denied being involved, but the incidents came as Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen also have launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, including on oil infrastructure.

    Meanwhile in Iran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that while Tehran doesn’t seek nuclear weapons, “America could not do anything” to stop Iran if it did.

    The comments came during a one-on-one meeting capping Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s high-stakes visit in Tehran that sought to ease Iran-U.S. tensions, suggested the efforts had failed.

    https://www.apnews.com/d67714ab8ac344a3b3af19cca1c20192

    • I read that one of the tankers went down, meaning under the ocean. It sunk.
      You might think this is crazy but is it possible China is involved and Iran helped them?
      China is a desperate Iran-friendly. And so is Russia. And Russia-China-Iran are the three Amigos.
      We see the sudden Hong Kong civil unrest also.
      Is it possible desperate China is behind everything to draw the USA into a foreign war to obtain an advantage in the not-so-well ongoing trade negotiations? And desperate Iran is more than happy to accommodate desperate China.

  4. Gulf of Oman incident and Iran’s dangerous game – analysis

    Four tankers off the UAE port of Fujairah had been struck on May 12, a month before the incident on June 13. The most recent incident is much more serious. The US navy has been sent to assist.

    https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Analysis-Gulf-of-Oman-incident-and-Irans-dangerous-game-592374
    …..
    My computer’s going into the shop in an hour, so I won’t be able to follow up.
    Read Seth Frantzman’s twitter:
    https://twitter.com/sfrantzman

    Ynet is good at times of crisis, (otherwise leftist bilge).
    https://www[dot]ynetnews[dot]com/home/0,7340,L-3083,00%5Bdot%5Dhtml

  5. ‘Unspecified’ explosions reported on 2 oil tankers in Gulf of Oman

    OAN Newsroom
    UPDATED 6:36 AM PT — Thursday, June 13, 2019

    There is developing news out of the Gulf of Oman, where the U.S. Navy is assisting two oil tankers which have allegedly been attacked.

    According to reports, the two ships caught fire off the coast of the United Arab Emirates Thursday. All crew members on board have been evacuated with one sailor slightly injured.

    https://www.oann.com/unspecified-explosions-reported-on-2-oil-tankers-in-gulf-of-oman/

  6. This isn’t the small sabotage of last month. With such a massive incident, the US will have to show that its threats are not empty, and that it can guarantee the safety of ships in the Straits of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman. Even if someone alleges that the attack was not carried out by Iran, then it was carried out by someone else, which still endangers shipping.

    Is it suspicious that the attack happened with the Japanese leader was in Iran? Or was his visit cover for the attack? Perhaps having him there makes Iran appear less likely to have done something so brazen.

    This will inevitably feed the conspiracies of “false flags” and “the new Gulf of Tonkin,” a reference to an incident that helped lay the groundwork for deeper US involvement in Vietnam.

    But Iran’s media doesn’t seem to shy away from pushing this incident. It was Iranian media that first reported the attacks and it is Iranian media that has put up images of one of the damaged ships.

    In addition, Iranian social media accounts have pushed a 2017 video of a Houthi attack on a Saudi ship as if it is the June 13 attack.

    Why would Iran be so enthusiastic about showing off the attack? Wouldn’t they prefer to downplay it, knowing the tensions are high? Wouldn’t they seek to deny it immediately or spread information about others being responsible.

    Iran has boasted of saving the crew members of the ships. This may also be part of Tehran’s attempts to gain favor abroad by appearing responsible.

    Online some have pointed out that the ship was targeted not from the Iranian side, but from the side facing international waters. That would require a submarine or attacker to have gone around the ship to shoot at it from the side facing the Gulf.

    From: GULF TANKER ATTACK PUTS TRUMP IN A BIND ON IRAN – ANALYSIS

    …Iran, meanwhile, has been on a winning streak. The German Foreign Minister was in Iran this week and so was the Japanese Prime Minister. Not bad for the Iranian regime that is supposed to be isolated. Iran has claimed the June 13 attack on the oil tankers just miles off the coast of its naval base at Jask is “suspicious.”

    The Trump administration is now in a bind on how to respond. With the Bahrain summit coming up on January 25 it must consider what to do next. First of all someone has to make a determination what caused the harm to the tankers. The fire on the Front Altair and images show a seriously damaged ship.

    This isn’t the small sabotage of last month. With such a massive incident, the US will have to show that its threats are not empty, and that it can guarantee the safety of ships in the Straits of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman. Even if someone alleges that the attack was not carried out by Iran, then it was carried out by someone else, which still endangers shipping.

    Is it suspicious that the attack happened with the Japanese leader was in Iran? Or was his visit cover for the attack? Perhaps having him there makes Iran appear less likely to have done something so brazen.

    This will inevitably feed the conspiracies of “false flags” and “the new Gulf of Tonkin,” a reference to an incident that helped lay the groundwork for deeper US involvement in Vietnam.

    But Iran’s media doesn’t seem to shy away from pushing this incident. It was Iranian media that first reported the attacks and it is Iranian media that has put up images of one of the damaged ships.

    In addition, Iranian social media accounts have pushed a 2017 video of a Houthi attack on a Saudi ship as if it is the June 13 attack.

    Why would Iran be so enthusiastic about showing off the attack? Wouldn’t they prefer to downplay it, knowing the tensions are high? Wouldn’t they seek to deny it immediately or spread information about others being responsible.

    Iran has boasted of saving the crew members of the ships. This may also be part of Tehran’s attempts to gain favor abroad by appearing responsible.

    Online some have pointed out that the ship was targeted not from the Iranian side, but from the side facing international waters. That would require a submarine or attacker to have gone around the ship to shoot at it from the side facing the Gulf.

    The Trump administration is focused on China, Mexico and other issues at the moment. Iran is not in the president’s main agenda, at least not at the moment.

    The tanker attack will change that and will require both Pompeo and Bolton to look closely at what happened. Pompeo last announced new “maximum pressure” on June 7.

    Six days later he may have a crises on his hands. Countries in the region will be watching to see how the US handles it.
    https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Tanker-attack-puts-Trump-in-a-bind-on-Iran-analysis-592398

    • Sorry for the duplicate!
      I’ve already read “false flag, Gulf of Tonkin” comments.
      Who reports what will tell us who’s what. Another set of data points like the Khashoggi disinfo op will be useful.

  7. Tanker attacks in Gulf of Oman stoke security and oil fears

    DUBAI (Reuters) – Two oil tankers were attacked and left adrift on Thursday in the Gulf of Oman, driving up oil prices and stoking fears of a new confrontation between Iran and the United States.

    The White House said U.S. President Donald Trump had been briefed on the issue, after Washington accused Tehran of being behind a similar incident on May 12 when four tankers were attacked in the same area, a vital oil shipping route.

    https://www.oann.com/oil-tanker-attacks-in-gulf-of-oman-fuel-security-oil-supply-fears/

    • This article has a lot more information, think about putting it in the main body of the thread.

  8. After suspected attacks, UN chief says world can’t afford major conflict in Gulf

    UNITED NATIONS — The world cannot afford a major confrontation in the Gulf, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says following suspected attacks today on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman.

    The latest incident, the second in the strategic sea lane in a few weeks, came amid spiraling tensions between Tehran and Washington, which has pointed the finger at Iran over earlier tanker attacks in May.

    “I strongly condemn any attack against civilian vessels,” Guterres tells a Security Council meeting on UN cooperation with the Arab League.

    “Facts must be established and responsibilities clarified,” he says. “If there is something the world cannot afford is a major confrontation in the Gulf region.”

    Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit warns both the targeting of oil tankers and attacks against Saudi Arabia are “dangerous developments.”

    Also today, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels said they had fired missiles on an airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia.

    “Some parties in the region are trying to instigate fires in our region and we must be aware of that,” Gheit tells the council.

    He urges the UN body to “act against those responsible to maintain security and stability in the region.”

    — AFP
    https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/after-suspected-attacks-un-chief-says-world-cant-afford-major-conflict-in-gulf/

    • That is what it looks like, people keep saying it was a mine or a torpedo, if it was a mine some thing launched it to hit and stick above the water line. It is like they want to start a war without spilling any oil. Up until this attach they have succeeded in doing that.

      It will be interesting to see what comes out over the next few days and what President Trump does in retaliation.