Puppet MastersS


Briefcase

Leak of UK ambassador's views on Trump shows why honesty has no place in international relations

Simon Rite
RT
Mon, 08 Jul 2019 18:59 UTC
uk british american flags
© Tim Graham/Getty Images
Britain's establishment is scrambling to limit the damage caused by a leak of the UK ambassador's classified criticism of Donald Trump, even if it's clear that most of them agree with it.

In fact, the outrage caused by the views of Britain's man in Washington being publicly aired underlines what most of us know - that honesty has absolutely no place in international relations.

Sir Kim Darroch called Trump, among other things, "incompetent," "inept," and "clumsy." That all looks pretty rich now that his innermost thoughts on the one man he is supposed to be buttering up have been released for all to see. However it happened, it does seem clumsy and inept. Almost Trumpian, allegedly.

Comment: Our man in America: UK ambassador Darroch's secret cables to Downing Street labeled Trump 'inept', 'insecure', 'incompetent'

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TV

Interview with former President Manuel Zelaya on the 10th anniversary of US overthrow: 'The coup turned Honduras into hell'


The Grayzone
Mon, 01 Jul 2019 00:00 UTC
Manuel Zelaya
© Radio Netherlands WorldwideFormer Honduran President Manuel Zelaya
The Grayzone's Anya Parampil sat down for an exclusive interview with Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, on the 10th anniversary of the US-backed right-wing military coup that overthrew him. He discusses the extreme violence, drug trafficking, economic depression, migration crisis, Juan Orlando Hernández (JOH), WikiLeaks, Venezuela, and more.


Transcript:
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Oil Well

Conflict in Persian Gulf may send oil beyond $325/barrel...three scenarios

Vincent Lauerman
Oilprice.com
Sun, 07 Jul 2019 06:00 UTC
oil tanker
© Joan Carlos Hernandez/Global Look Press
The possibility of Iran attempting to close the Strait of Hormuz to tanker traffic has increased significantly in recent weeks, as has the possibility of a Persian Gulf War, especially with the Islamic Republics' intentional destruction of a U.S. surveillance drone on June 20. This act provides weight to Tehran's threat that it will inflict a heavy toll on U.S. allies in the region if attacked by American forces and will not allow these same countries to export their oil if it can't export its own.

The memory remains remarkably fresh in Iran of the 1951-53 oil embargo that toppled the democratically-elected government of Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh - and the CIA installing the despot Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the so-called Shah of Iran, in his place.

The impact on oil markets of an Iranian closure of the Strait of Hormuz would be enormous.

Strait of Hormuz Closure

The leadership of the Iranian Navy and the Revolutionary Guard Navy, knowing they could never challenge the U.S. in a conventional naval contest, have been accumulating considerable asymmetric and other capabilities to enable the Islamic Republic to close the Strait of Hormuz since the "tanker war" in the Persian Gulf during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War. These capabilities include thousands of sea mines, torpedoes, advanced cruise missiles, regular-sized and mini-submarines, and a flotilla of small fast-attack boats, most of which are concentrated in the strait region.
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Snakes in Suits

Pompeo warns Iran: New 'sanctions and further isolation' for uranium enrichment (levels set by the JCPOA)


Sputnik
Sun, 07 Jul 2019 21:58 UTC
Pompeo
© Israel National NewsUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
On Sunday, Iranian authorities announced that the country's enrichment of uranium would surpass 3.6 percent "in a few hours," and promised to reduce the nation's commitment to the Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), every 60 days, if the issue is not resolved.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned Iran of "further isolation and sanctions," following Tehran's move, claiming that an Iran "armed with nuclear weapons, would pose an even greater danger to the world".

According to Tehran, reducing Iran's commitments under the nuclear accord is "in parallel with saving the JCPOA, and not destroying it, this tendency may lead to discontinuing our participation in the JCPOA".

On Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that on 7 July Tehran will start enriching uranium at levels set out in the JCPOA and would maintain that enrichment at a level it considers necessary.

Comment: See also:

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Arrow Up

Taliban peace talks: 'A lot of progress' claims US envoy

Zarif Nazar
RFE/RL
Mon, 08 Jul 2019 12:23 UTC
Zalmay Khalilzad
© AFP/Wakil KohsarThe special U.S. representative for Afghan peace and reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad
U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has described the latest round of U.S.-Taliban peace talks as the "most productive" ever, telling RFE/RL that "a lot of progress" has been made. Khalilzad made the remarks in an interview with RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan on July 7 at the conclusion of the first day of an intra-Afghan dialogue in Qatar.

The two-day intra-Afghan dialogue marks the first time Afghan government officials have met for face-to-face talks with Taliban representatives -- although the Kabul officials traveled to the Doha gathering in a personal rather than official capacity. The Taliban previously refused to meet directly with any members of Afghanistan's government, calling them "Western puppets."

But the Taliban agreed to meet with individuals in the Afghan government who are part of an intra-Afghan delegation that also includes opposition politicians, women, and members of Afghan nongovernmental organizations.

Khalilzad told RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan after the conclusion of the July 7 meeting that U.S. and Taliban negotiators were now closer to reaching an agreement on four key issues. Those issues include the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan, a permanent cease-fire, a Taliban guarantee that Afghanistan will not be used as a base for attacks in other countries, and an intra-Afghan dialogue that leads to a political settlement.
Taliban Doha
© RFE/RL screenshotTaliban attend peace talks in Doha, Qatar

Comment: See also:

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Nuke

Iran has exceeded uranium enrichment level set by JCPOA as Europe fails to resist US sanctions


RT
Mon, 08 Jul 2019 08:36 UTC
Bushehr power plant
© IRNA/Mohammad Babaie/ReutersNuclear power plant in Bushehr, Iran
Iran has officially surpassed the 3.67% uranium enrichment limit set by the 2015 nuclear deal, Reuters has reported, citing a spokesman for the country's nuclear agency.

Behrouz Kamalvandi said that Iran's new level of uranium enrichment was at 4.5%, and that Tehran would consider increasing this figure to 20% as a future measure if Europe continues to neglect its commitments under the JCPOA. He urged the deal's European signatories to act quickly before Iran took further steps to pull out from the accord.

Tehran announced on Sunday that it would exceed the cap mandated by the accord, warning it would further scale down its commitments under the deal if its European partners failed to honor the agreement. Under deal, known as the JCPOA, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear activities and to allow international inspections of its nuclear facilities, in exchange for sanctions relief.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has argued that Iran is fully within its rights to increase its uranium enrichment, noting that a dispute resolution mechanism contained in the JCPOA allows Tehran to "cease performing its commitments" if the Islamic Republic believes any of the other signatories have failed to uphold their own side of the deal.

Comment: More from FRN: Pompeo's new anti-Iran sanctions
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo responded to the statement by Iranian authorities regarding the restart of uranium enrichment above 3.67%, as announced on July 7 by Abbas Arakchi, who is the Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran and the main negotiator for the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan (JCPOA) on the nuclear program. According to Pompeo, Washington will introduce new sanctions against Iran, despite Washington having been the party to cancel the deal, and increase its isolation.

"The Iranian nuclear weapon regime will pose an even greater danger to the world," the US secretary of state wrote on Twitter, threatening to respond to Iran's "expansion of its nuclear program" with new sanctions and further "isolation." According to Pompeo, it is necessary to return the "total ban on uranium enrichment" by Iran.

Abbas Arakchi said recently that the beginning of uranium enrichment was the second stage of reduction of Iran's obligations under the FIDD, and now it will occur every 60 days, if its participants do not adhere to the agreements reached. Arakchi also noted that although "the doors for diplomacy are still open," new initiatives are needed to resolve this situation.
From Tasmin News Agency: China blames US bullying for Iran's nuclear announcement
"The facts show that unilateral bullying has already become a worsening tumor," said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang at a press briefing in Beijing, AFP reported. "The maximum pressure exerted by the US on Iran is the root cause of the Iranian nuclear crisis," he said.

President Hassan Rouhani had warned on Wednesday that the second step of reduction in Iran's commitments would take place on Sunday, saying, "On July 7, the level of (uranium) enrichment in Iran will not be 3.67 percent anymore, as we will abandon such a commitment and increase it (enrichment) to any amount that we need."

Iran maintains that the new measures are not designed to harm the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), but to save the accord by creating a balance in the commitments.

Last week, Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium exceeded 300 kg.
See also: Pompeo warns Iran: New 'sanctions and further isolation' for uranium enrichment (levels set by the JCPOA)

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Oil Well

More of the same? Blackouts halt Venezuelan oil refineries' operations in Paraguaná Peninsula, blamed on sabotage


Sputnik
Sun, 07 Jul 2019 16:04 UTC
PDVSA tank
© AP/Fernando Llano
The crisis-hit Latin American country has suffered a series of mass power outages since early March, which the government has blamed on the United States and the country's opposition, describing the blackouts as "sabotage attacks".

An apparent power outage has affected a crude oil refinery complex in north-west Venezuela on Saturday night, plunging a nearby community into darkness. The blackout halted Amuay and Cardon, two oil refineries located in the Paraguana Peninsula, Reuters reports citing sources within the state oil company PDVSA.

Amuay and Cardon are two of the three refineries of Venezuela's largest refinery complex, operated by PDSVA. While the company has not confirmed the news yet, photos of the blackout began making their way to social media.

Dario Tremont, a regional coordinator of the Voluntad Popular (Popular Will) opposition party, claimed that the blackout took place near midnight after the breakdown of the third turbine at Cardon refinery. ​Another user said the outage has affected the entire Paraguaná Peninsula. Purported photos from the scene show the refinery.

Comment: See also:

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Boat

Iranian DM Hatami: UK's seizure of Iranian oil tanker is 'maritime robbery'


RT
Mon, 08 Jul 2019 06:06 UTC
Grace 1
© Reuters/Jon NazcaGrace 1, oil supertanker
Britain's seizure of an Iranian oil tanker off the coast of Gibraltar is unacceptable and tantamount to piracy, Defense Minister Amir Hatami has claimed.

In a speech broadcast live on state television on Monday, Hatami denounced the "threatening" actions taken by the Royal Marines, describing Britain's detention of the Iranian vessel as similar to "maritime robbery." He said that Iran would not tolerate such behavior. An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman echoed Hatami's sentiments, describing the incident as a clear case of "piracy."

On Thursday, British marines and Gibraltar police seized 'Grace 1,' an Iranian super tanker, off the southern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. Gibraltar's Chief Minister Fabian Picardo claimed that the ship was transporting crude oil to Syria "in violation" of EU sanctions placed on Damascus. Tehran has denied the accusation, insisting that the ship's cargo was not destined for Syria.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday that the British had no legal right to seize the tanker, and that Tehran hopes to resolve the issue through legal means.

A top commander of Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps suggested a different response to the incident, calling for a British ship to be seized in retaliation if the Iranian vessel is not released.

Comment: More from RT: Supertanker seizure is 'Piracy, pure and simple.'
Questioning the legality of the UK's move, Minister Zarif pointed out on Twitter that "Iran is neither a member of the EU nor subject to any European oil embargo". The strongly worded message comes amid an ongoing row over the unprecedented seizure by British Royal Marines. "Last I checked, EU was against extraterritoriality," he tweeted on Monday afternoon.

See also:

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Blackbox

Will Ukraine's parliamentary election reverse the Maidan putsch, drive Galicians from power?

John Helmer
johnhelmer.net
Mon, 08 Jul 2019 17:38 UTC
freeland zelensky
The US State Department, the Republican Party Institute and Igor Kolomoisky can't all be wrong about what the overwhelming majority of Ukrainian voters is thinking - that there is a civil war in the Ukraine which cannot be won by US arms, money, and putsches in Kiev.

The question to be decided on polling day, July 21, for the new Verkhovna Rada (parliament) is: which side in the war, the eastern Ukraine including Odessa, or the Galicians around Lviv in the west, will win power?

The answer already appeared in a May poll by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and in the most recent June and July voter surveys by the local Ukrainian pollster Rating. A coalition of parties whose support is strongest in eastern Ukraine will control parliament and will back the new President, Volodymyr Zelensky (lead image, left), to negotiate terms with the breakaway governments of Donetsk and Lugansk (collectively, the Donbass), and with Moscow. On these polls, the Galician parties of western Ukraine will have no national party representation in parliament, no ministers nor high-ranking officials, and just a handful of constituency seats in Lviv, Brody and Ternopil.

Last week, the Galicians held their election rally in Toronto, where their faction is headed by Chrystia Freeland (lead image, right), Canada's foreign minister, with financing from the State Department through USAID, and from Victor Pinchuk, a Ukrainian steel oligarch, supported by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, a lobby group representing west Ukrainian refugees from the German Army's defeat in 1945. Freeland, a Galician by origin, and Kurt Volker, a German by origin and the State Department's Special Representative for Ukraine, gave the proceedings, entitled the Ukraine Reform Conference, an official government appearance. So did appearances and speeches by President Zelensky and a handful of Baltic state politicians.

But Toronto votes don't count. If the domestic Ukrainian vote follows the current Ukrainian and US polls, then Freeland's Galicians will be forced to retreat, just as her grandfather Michael Chomiak fled with the German Army as it was driven out of Ukraine and Poland by the Red Army. Chomiak ended up in Alberta, Canada. Freeland too. After July 21, the last retreat for the Galicians is Canada.

Comment: In related news, Zelensky has called on Putin for a face-to-face meeting:
In a July 8 video statement on Facebook, Zelenskiy said he was ready to hold talks with Putin in the Belarusian capital, Minsk.

"We need to talk? We do. Let us discuss who Crimea belongs to and who is not there in Donbas," Zelenskiy said, adding that he wanted the leaders of the United States, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom present at the talks.
...
Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters in Moscow that the Kremlin will consider Zelenskiy's call for talks with Putin, but added that he was "not prepared" to respond at the moment.

"First, we need to understand whether such a meeting has any prospects, and second, we need to understand what kind of new format is being offered," Peskov said.


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Chess

Venezuela's Guaido announces new talks with Maduro gov't


DW
Mon, 08 Jul 2019 00:00 UTC
Venezuela activist
The Norway-brokered talks aim "to establish a negotiation on the end of the dictatorship," the opposition leader said. Backed by Russia and China, socialist President Nicolas Maduro has refused to step down.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido on Sunday announced fresh talks with the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

Guaido, who declared himself acting president earlier this year, said the Norway-brokered talks aim "to establish a negotiation on the end of the dictatorship," referring to Maduro's regime.

"The Venezuelan people, our allies and the world's democracies recognize the need for a truly free and transparent electoral process that will allow us to surpass the crisis and build a productive future," he said.
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