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EU Moves To Ban Iran Crude Oil
rtoz writes with this snippet from the BBC: "EU member states have agreed in principle to ban imports of Iranian crude oil to put pressure on the country over its nuclear programme. ... The US, which recently imposed fresh sanctions on Iran, welcomed the news. ... The Iranian state gets more than half of its revenue through the export of crude oil, says the BBC's James Reynolds. If Europe does stop buying, Iran will have to turn to countries in Asia to replace its lost trade, who will demand a discount, he adds."
Iran 'might' be working on a nuclear bomb and the EU wants to put an embargo on them.
the USA, Russia, India, China, Pakistan and Israel all HAVE nuclear bombs and the EU is happily trading and talking with them.
Conclusion:
Once Iran finishes it's research the EU and Iran will be Best Friends Forever.
We ban crude oil imports, Iran blockades the Straight of Hormuz, the US bombs Iran. They wont even need a dodgy dossier this time around. Here's to another decade of war.
All they need is to withdraw from the NPT. Iran has a perfect right to develop nuclear weapons, and a very plausible reason of deterring foreign invasion, given what happened to Iraq. Why pretend not to have a nuclear program when nobody believes you? At least they could take the "no comment" approach that Israel has.
...I mean, they should know that sanctions do not work, never have and more than probably never will.
If Iran ends up having to look for new markets in Asia, with the Asian demanding a discount, Iranians will offer the discount, but maintain revenues by pumping more.
Remember, Iran and other gulf oil states have billions and billions of oil in wells. Adding extra pumps or bringing new wells online is not that hard.
I don't agree with the way Iran's government thinks, but it seems clear that the US government, especially the Republicans, are spoiling for another pointless and costly war, so are pressurising Iran with punitive sanctions in order to make them take the first punch so that the US can justify it.
Even if Iran is developing a nuke, it isn't the job or right of the US to be world police. Why is it that the west can make nukes but not other countries?
Its sad to see the EU isn't using some independent judgement instead of just falling into line with US policy and acting like the US's bitch.
The EU nations import 8.5 million barrels a day. USA: 13.5. Japan: 5.5. China: 4.5. South Korea: 2.5. Get *all* of those nations to ban Iran crude and you'll substantially affect Iranian prices for the worse (and prices within the embargoing nations for the worse, too). Just EU? Meh. EU plus USA? Still meh since in fact most of the current USA's imports come from the Americas. But EU, USA, Japan, SKorea? Now we're talking. As Iran goes further and further down the list of importing nations they start having to deal with shipping into smaller ports, into ports which can't take as much oil as quickly, etc. Less efficient transactions and less efficient shipping, and potentially for a lower base price because the countries agreeing to buy Iranian oil will have negotiating leverage.
In the mean time, it wouldn't be the worst thing for each of the potentially embargoing nations to figure out how to reduce the oil required for each unit of GDP, health, or any other metric of "goodness" that the nation uses. After all, an oil embargo hurts both trade partners, but reducing demand hurts the seller and improves conditions for the (former) buyer.
Support a few technologists in Washington.
China will grow itself into oblivion
- this a beautiful display of complete nonsense, how very Orwellian.
You can't handle the truth.
I don't usually reply to ACs. However.
Where in heck did I say that the GOOD option is to do nothing? I just stated that i think this embargo is a BAD option.
Something bad is coming when people are suddenly anxious to tell the truth.
In fact a few years back(not sure if this is still in effect), Iran essentially asked Japan to pay in yen(which of course in hindsight seems incredibly wise, as the yen has almost doubled in value since then), one of the first really big oil contracts to be denominated in a currency other than dollars. Should be an interesting diplomacy game to see if Washington is even able to convince Japan to restrict Iranian oil imports....
Regardless, this is the stupidity of Bush's cowboy diplomacy and Obama's kowtowing to Republicans coming home to roost. We are certainly going to be paying a lot for letting the man-child try to impress daddy and play war general.
Monstar L
Ohai. This is Slashdot. It's not "technology news", it's "news for nerds". The mistake is easy to make, but it is a mistake nevertheless. If you want "technology news" you can try Engadget or TechCrunch or something. Good luck.
pray tell me. if you say 'they are a hardliner state', you will find israel MUCH more hardliner than any other country on the planet. just listen to what liebermann says (external affairs minister of israel). you'll be dumbfounded. just watch what gets publicly spoken in one of their leading party assemblies. youll be appalled.
the signs that israel has nuclear capability is always dodged by all international agencies and governments. yet, iran gets the heat for less.
or maybe it is because only countries that are either in angloamerican or russian alliances are entitled to have nuclear weapons ?
never mind. the question was rhetorical.
Read radical news here
China not a threat? I would call BS. They have been a major threat to the US since they found they are good at wars by proxy. The Korean war was a stalemate. The Vietnam conflict was an easy victory for them. Other places like Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other countries where insurgents "mysteriously" get ammo and explosives from somewhere also show this.
Look how they killed the solar industry in the US. Six months ago, /. had the articles about how sites belonging to energy companies were being hacked. Then a few months ago came the solar panel dumping for less than the cost of making them. Now we are sans a complete industry because of this, and MORE dependent on oil/gas while they are happily building the latest, safest nuclear reactors and getting off of coal.
Look how they are securing rare earths and other resources.
China is smart, and extremely brutal. They know that a couple shipments of C4 that mysteriously wind up in a bunch of insurgent hands go a lot further than sending PLA troops in a region. This is how they can win a battle in a theater of conflict without a single member of the Han race ever firing a shot.
China is doing a damn good job at keeping the US stuck on fighting in shithole countries to keep the foreign oil flowing while they are going to a post oil economy.
Look how they killed the solar industry in the US.
Let's be clear, China didn't do anything alone. They whipped the slaves, the slaves were industrious, we bought the fruits of their industry. With few exceptions the Chinese are working in conditions of one sort or another which would be illegal here, even if they are not literal slaves literally being whipped. I would imagine that happens less in Solar production and more in cheap crap consumer goods.
As long as we on one hand pass laws which claim to protect the rights of the laborer and on the other hand continue to purchase goods from countries which do not respect any such rights we are continuing to fund our own devastation through the application of hypocrisy.
We choose to purchase goods from China, both at the personal and national level. What effect did you think that would have?
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
I think you are a bit confused. This embargo will not produce regime change in Iran. It will not "jack up prices at the pump" in the US, either. Generally speaking, it will have no good/desirable effects (or at least, that's what I believe).
What it will do is make oil more expensive for the EU, less so for China and consolidate the Iran regime by means of strengthening the (already strong) public perception of the US as an aggressor state.
Oh, and if you really believe the people of Iran can't wait to be "liberated" by the US, you should know I have a beautiful historic bridge in Bosnia for sale.
Something bad is coming when people are suddenly anxious to tell the truth.
The EU is going to ban Iranian oil, fine. They are also proposing to ban Canadian oil, ok. But if you start alienating countries that have large reserves of oil, where the hell do you think you are going to get your oil from in the future? If Iran stops is nuclear programs under these sanctions or Canada finds more efficient less polluting ways of extracting oil from tar sands, then why would they return to doing business with the EU? There are larger markets then the EU out there that are not so finicky.
Not a week goes by that I don't hear about another stupid decision made by the EU in one shape or another which limits consumer rights and under the EU "protection", most EU countries are entering bankruptcy.
So why do Europeans put up with it?
Do only people outside the EU understand it is a epic disaster?
I haven't thought of anything clever to put here, but then again most of you haven't either.
You mean Sudan that has now been split off into two countries, the new one being south-sudan which is now more free then before from the north-muslim and Iran backed mass murderers?
Sorta like a not perfect but better then before result of the embargo?
Gosh, as an example of why embargo's don't work a embargo that gave millions a change to create their own country with a better future.... why not show how the storming of the Bastille did nothing to get rid of the corrupt king. How the US decleration of dependence did not result in indepedence?
Next time before spouting off, check what actually happened.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
With few exceptions the Chinese are working in conditions of one sort or another which would be illegal here, even if they are not literal slaves literally being whipped
In a communist economy, the population are slaves. Literal whips are replaced by the Type 56 and threats to your family.
As for the rest of your comment, I agree.
There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
Strange, considering that when Libyan oil started to go into Chinese direction, both EU and US got scared shitless and bombed the country into stone age.
Is this what passes for intelligent commentary these days?
1) Libya was not bombed into the stone age. The Ghaddafi regime lost some tanks, artillery, choppers and a few buildings were hit in the process as well.
2) Libya was free to sell its oil to whomever it wanted before the Ghaddafi regime change, and it is so now.
Man, and you people vote. Scary.
Those who can, do. Those who can't, sue.
Instead of helping Iran being more developed, better integrated with the rest of the world, so that a**holes like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will not get elected, we do what?
All this high rhetoric about Iran is such a non-sense. The EU and US simply do not want Iran to become a major international player because they are very well positioned to also become very important player.
On a slow week-end I have read through all the Wikipedia material on Iran and honestly the mention of what Iran needs (and it needs little) to become a superpower are all over the place. Embargoes would do little, only slow it down. Real change inside the Iran could happen when Iran becomes a superpower - but it seems our politicians are not in favor of it.
BTW, slow down of Iran's peaceful nuclear program will have an impact on us in oil/gas dependent countries. Oil and gas are major sources of energy in Iran, but efficiency of Iran's processing is very low. Nuclear program supposed to free up quite a lot of the gas and the oil and allow to increase export or simply save the resources instead of wasting them.
All hope abandon ye who enter here.
Iran is relatively independent and otherwise well connected locally and to other neighboring nations like China and India (check the main importers and exporters). The rate would have little impact on Iran itself.
Loss of rial to USD means that the US traders do not need the currency, which is needed only to do the business with Iran. And there were very little business to begin with.
All hope abandon ye who enter here.
The British turned against the Jews in 1939 and sided with the Arabs specifically to continue the flow of oil to their country during WW2. I don't think the creation of a Jewish state and oil have any real connection. Walter Rothschild (a zionist Jew) was the one behind the creation of a Jewish state, and it was presented under the auspice of having a territory on the east side of the mediterranean to facilitate troop movements to India in case they began to lose the Raj. Unfortunately for them they had to sell the Indians their freedom to stay in WW2.
Q.E.D. Israel (the Jews there, anyways) never had any bearing or leverage on oil in the region.
disclaimer: I'm not trying to push any sort of agenda, I'm just trying to point out that this line of thought is wrong
moox. for a new generation.
1. Of course infrastructure is bombed. You defeat someone by destroying their ability to coordinate. Not sure why this is news.
2. You're gonna need some proof for that. I looked for your quote, and couldn't find anything. And yes, I was looking for the original French.
Those who can, do. Those who can't, sue.
Incorrect. The shipping lanes are in Iranian and Omanian territories. And I wish everyone would spell strait correctly in this context.
It's amusing how some people still think we went into Iraq because S. Hussein was an evil dictator, or that we helped get rid of M. Khadafi for the same reason. The popular media seem resistant to portray these things for what they are: taking control of Third World petroleum industries. Iran is the last redoubt in the middle east not yet in bed with or controlled by international petroleum mobsters. Venezuela is the last in the western hemisphere, and it is no coincidence at all that H. Chavez is demonized as an evil dictator as well. It is an industrial pattern every bit as stereotyped as any software design pattern, and it works just as well.
Yes, we are headed for another decade of perpetual war for perpetual peace in order that the mobsters who rule the First World can take control of small nations' wealth and resources. For the rubes, it's all about saving the world from Iran's evil dictators having a few nukes. Suckers.
http://heatusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/iran-oil-production-1973-2007.gif
Iranian oil production collapsed in 1980, and struggled back. Even with the massive investment they've made, their production is basically flat, and will remain so for about 5 more years when it goes into another decline. The collapse of 1980 was political in nature, not geological. The next downturn will not be as dramatic, but far more permanent.
I think Iran is stringing it out - they have all the advantages. If they can hold out another few years, the USA will be so completely broke and financially incapacitated that the Iranians will be able to do most anything they please. They have time. Iran is a very ancient civilisation. The regime is precarious, but Iran is very very old.
And yes, this hullaballoo over Iran has Europe's freezing little fingers all over it. Yes, oil is big for Iran, but the gas situation is completely off the hook. If you go BTU for BTU, the South Pars field has more energy in it than all of Saudi Arabia's oil. That's a lot of energy. And as long as Iran does the sensible thing and maintains a nationalised energy production system, it will be in conflict with the parasitic raiders of western private energy companies. Note: 85% of all energy reserves are in the hands of National Energy Companies, not private interests. So, when you hear "invade iran" what you are actually hearing is "let Exxon drill the South Pars".
Shoes for Industry. Shoes for the Dead.