© CERA/YoutubeSecretary of State Michael R. Pompeo gives keynote address at CERAWeek, in Houston, Texas, on March 12, 2019.
During a speech Tuesday night at CERAWeek by IHS Markit in Houston, Pompeo told executives that the energy industry can strengthen U.S. policy and warned that adversaries use their energy exports for "malign" political ends.
He said his remarks were meant to convey "What our new found energy abundance means for foreign policy - what you all can help me and President Trump deliver to the world."
He also met privately with senior oil executives and invited Chevron, Total, Royal Dutch Shell, ConocoPhillips and Occidental Petroleum, according to Bloomberg.
During his speech, Pompeo said the U.S. doesn't want European allies "hooked on Russian gas." He said China's construction of islands in the South China Sea is preventing other countries from developing energy resources there. And he said Iran is using its energy exports to turn Iraq into a "vassal state."
Comment: Since when have the neocons been worried about the the welfare of 'the little guys"? And if the EU bows to Washington pressure over Russian gas, the Russians are not likely to be worried. There are plenty of other profitable markets to operate in.
The 'Power of Siberia' gas pipeline from Russia to China nears completion
"Some nations are using their energy for malign ends and not to promote prosperity the way we do here in the West," Pompeo said. "We're not just exporting American energy. We are exporting our commercial value system to friends and partners."
He added that U.S. adversaries "don't have the values of freedom, liberty and rule of law. They are using their energy to destroy ours."
Comment: The hypocrisy is stunning.
Mike Pompeo Wants To Flatten Iran Exports
Pompeo's speech comes as the U.S. has become an oil superpower again amid the shale and fracking boom.
Domestic crude production is now 12 million barrels a day, more than Russia and Saudi Arabia. U.S. crude exports also reached 2.5 million barrels per day at the end of 2018, and in November, the U.S. exported more oil than it imported for the first time in decades.
As the U.S. supplies more energy around the world, Pompeo also said Tuesday the U.S. seeks to crush Iranian crude exports.
"Iran's role in global energy markets is diminishing," he said. "Its exports have tanked, thanks in large part to our pressure campaign. We're committed to bringing Iranian crude oil exports to zero as quickly as market conditions will permit."
While the U.S. reimposed sanctions on Iranian oil, the Trump administration granted waivers to China, India, Italy, Greece, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Turkey to continue buying from Tehran. Those waivers are set to expire in May, and its unclear how many will receive an extension.
The U.S. could fill the gap left by Iran in places like China, which has become a major importer of U.S. crude. China imported about 4% of all the crude exported from the U.S. last year. But Beijing didn't import any in December due to the trade war Trump is waging.
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