Oman Gulf Oil Tankers on Fire, 1 Sunk (Tonkin v2.0?)

[goldenequity]

https://twitter.com/uunionnews/status/1139198893810429954

https://twitter.com/rafsanchez/status/1139141268687261696

 

[goldenequity]

A 'Fat Mike' Production....


Christina Ruffini
Verified account
An administration official confirms to @CBSNews that @SecPompeo will have "specifics and attribution" about tanker attacks when he addresses press in 30 minutes.

http://www.reuters.tv/l/PQyv/2019/06/13/pompeo-holds-briefing-amid-tanker-attacks-concerns





Guy Elster
BREAKING Pompeo says US assesses Iran is responsible for Oman Gulf attacks

Ragıp Soylu
@ragipsoylu
Pompeo directly blames Iran for Oman tankers attack:

• He reminds that Iran threatened to cut oil flow in strait Hormuz in April
• He then mentions many attacks conducted by “Iran surrogates” since then
• Says Iran hit a tanker owned by Japan while its PM visiting Tehran

lol what r the odds...

 

[enhanced_deficit]

Why bring up Tonkin here?

Does not apply. Unlike then, currently an America-First non-Globalist non-puppet is Coammander-In-Chief and he cannot be fooled by globalists, wars profiteering lobbies, neocons PSON leadership or any other nefarious actors.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

Like clockwork, neocon Mike Pompeo blames Iran...

 

[EBounding]

Fortunately we have a strong Leader (Trump) who will expose the Truth!

 

[Zippyjuan]

Neither ship sank. Spin meisters on all sides out in force on this one. "False flag!" "Israel!" "US!" "Iran!" Somebody trying to somehow link Pakistan.

 

[enhanced_deficit]

Spin meisters on all sides out in force on this one. "False flag!" "Israel!" ...

Early reporting can be foggy, incomplete or inaccurate but at this point there is no evidence in media reports suggesting that our closest ally was behind this mischief even if they have been accused of F-flag conspiracies in the past.

Israel honors Jewish terrorists who bombed US-UK civilian buildings with aim to to blame it on 'Muslim Brotherhood'
The Lavon Affair refers to a failed Israeli covert operation, code named Operation Susannah, conducted in Egypt in the Summer of 1954. As part of the false flag operation, a group of Egyptian Jews were recruited by Israeli military intelligence to plant bombs inside Egyptian, American and British-owned civilian targets, cinemas, libraries and American educational centers. The attacks were to be blamed on the Muslim Brotherhood, Egyptian Communists, "unspecified malcontents" or "local nationalists" with the aim of creating a climate of sufficient violence and instability to induce the British government to retain its occupying troops in Egypt's Suez Canal zone.
After Israel publicly denied any involvement in the incident for 51 years, the surviving agents were officially honored in 2005 by being awarded certificates of appreciation by Israeli President Moshe Katzav.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

MSM talking heads are shouting “act of war by Iran”.

 

[goldenequity]

https://twitter.com/georgegalloway/status/1139289350053736450

 

[Pauls' Revere]

Neither ship sank. Spin meisters on all sides out in force on this one. "False flag!" "Israel!" "US!" "Iran!" Somebody trying to somehow link Pakistan.

I had read it was possibly mines. Idk what the odds are of two ships hitting mines but nonetheless I'm waiting for details.

 

[Zippyjuan]

I had read it was possibly mines. Idk what the odds are of two ships hitting mines but nonetheless I'm waiting for details.

Most people aren't before jumping to their conclusions/ propaganda. Gotta get the spin in before the facts come in (and possibly contradict the propaganda).

 

[Pauls' Revere]

Most people aren't before jumping to their conclusions/ propaganda. Gotta get the spin in before the facts come in (and possibly contradict the propaganda).

Who's really going to have the facts. Really.

 

[Pauls' Revere]

I suppose someone is checking the backgrounds of ALL the crew members of each ship for possible terrorist or state run org. links.

 

[Swordsmyth]

In a perhaps positive sign that could slow the attempts of hawks within the administration to push for war over Thursday's mysterious attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman, US Central Command issued a statement just hours after Pompeo officially blamed Tehran, saying in a CENTCOM press release that “a war with Iran is not in our strategic interest, nor in the best interest of the international community.”

The statement further called for a formal UN investigation into the incident, something for which there's already international momentum. Iran has "categorically" denied having anything to do with the attack, saying through FM Zarif “Suspicious doesn’t begin to describe what likely transpired”.
The entire bizarre event had immediately evoked unusual levels of public skepticism from media pundits to social media users to even CNN.

​

Iran’s permanent mission to the UN said on Thursday evening that it “categorically rejects the U.S. unfounded claim with regard to 13 June oil tanker incidents and condemns it in the strongest possible terms,” according to Bloomberg.

US Central Command spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Earl Brown said in the CENTCOM statement: “The U.S. and our regional partners are assisting in the response to attacks in the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. and the international community stand ready to defend our interests, including freedom of navigation.”
Crucially, the statement continued: “We have no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East,” and added, “We will defend our interests, but a war with Iran is not in our strategic interest, nor in the best interest of the international community.”


And further interesting is that the administration is claiming possession of photographic and video evidence that the massive fires aboard the tankers, which resulted in the USS Bainbridge initiating an emergency rescue of at least 21 mariners from one of the tankers, were the result of mines placed on the vessels. According to Bloomberg:

Senior administration officials said that at least one of the ships was attacked by mines. In a briefing with reporters, they showed a photo of a tanker, the Courageous, with a hole in its side caused by a mine that exploded, they said, and an undetonated mine lodged inside.
The officials said they didn’t know for sure whether the mines were Iranian. The U.S. concluded that Iran was responsible for the attacks based on intelligence sources and the absence of any better explanation, the officials said. They declined to elaborate on the intelligence sources.
​

Images and video now being released by @CENTCOM showing what it says is a likely unexploded limpet mine attached to the hull of the Japanese-owned chemical tanker Kokura Courageous. pic.twitter.com/Mzpdm7k0Mc
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) June 14, 2019​

Ironically, though it was the US side that pulled out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA), US officials further said Iran's motive was "to escalate the conflict" with Washington because "it’s not interested in discussions with the U.S.," according to the Bloomberg report.
CBS has the following detail concerning video evidence pointing to an attack operation involving mines:

A U.S. defense official told CBS News that the U.S. has video of a small boat coming alongside one of the tankers that was attacked and removing an unexploded "limpet" mine — a type of explosive that can be stuck manually to the side of a vessel. It is the same type of weapon U.S. officials say Iran used to attack four oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port of Fujairah last month.
​

But is this what the grainy footage actually shows? It's anything but clear just what is going on in the newly released CENTCOM footage:

Just in: Pentagon video of what it says is an Iranian boat removing an unexploded mine from one of the attacked oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. pic.twitter.com/XSxIPcyV6Q
— Philip Crowther (@PhilipinDC) June 14, 2019​

US officials also told CNN that the video of the mine involved Japanese-owned chemical tanker Kokura Courageous, and that the "small boat" belonged to the Iranian navy.
The CNN report claims Iran's navy was observed removing an unexploded mine, suggesting early statements that Iran was actually involved in rescue efforts could be true, though the exact nature of just what the purported video proves remains unclear:

The United States has video and photos that show an Iranian navy boat removing an unexploded mine attached to the hull of the Japanese-owned chemical tanker Kokura Courageous, four US officials tell CNN.
​

The anonymous US sources which spoke to CNN suggested the Iranians were actually "removing evidence" and not engaged in a rescue attempt, as the Iranians previously stated:

The official said the imagery shows a person on board that small boat grabbing the unexploded mine.
The boat made the move even after the USS Bainbridge, as well as a US drone and P-8 aircraft, had been on the scene for four hours. US defense officials believe that the Iranians were seeking to recover evidence of their involvement in the attack.
​

Meanwhile, the question of custody over evidence so near Iran's territorial waters in the Strait of Hormuz will likely quickly prove contentious.

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019...evidence-irans-navy-handling-mine-tanker-hull

 

[DamianTV]

Very first thing that popped into my mind is False Flag to start the war with Iran they so desperately want.

 

[enhanced_deficit]

eeyup.... oil jumps 3% 5% 6%....


Russian Market‏@russian_market
►Just think for a moment why now?

- Japan and Iran are about to sign a deal..

What would Iran gain by attacking Japanese cargo ships while Japan's PM and Iran's leader were in a meeting in Iran?



2 tankers with Japan-related cargo attacked in Strait of Hormuz as Abe visits Iran

June 13 06:00 pm JST

TOKYO Japanese trade minister Hiroshige Seko said Thursday that two tankers carrying "Japan-related" cargo were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz.
Hiroshige Seko said on Thursday that all crew members were safely rescued. He said the government has set up a task force and that the government has informed the shipping industry to use precautions.
The Japan Shipowners' Association said one of the two ships attacked is a Panamanian-registered chemical tanker belonging to its Japanese member and was on its way to Singapore and Thailand, not to Japan.
It said all 21 Filipino crew members were uninjured.
The attacks came as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was wrapping up a two-day trip to Iran with a mission to ease tensions between Tehran and Washington. The timing of the attack was especially sensitive while Abe's high-stakes diplomacy mission was underway.

On Wednesday, after talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Abe warned that any "accidental conflict" that could be sparked amid the heightened U.S.-Iran tensions must be avoided.

https://japantoday.com/category/nat...tacked-in-Strait-of-Hormuz-as-Abe-visits-Iran

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani shakes hands with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, during a welcome ceremony in Tehran, Iran, June 12, 2019. Official Iranian President website/Handout via REUTERS

June 12, 2019 / 3:55 AM / a day ago

Iranian President: Japan wants to keep buying Iranian oil

DUBAI (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned of unintended clashes in the crisis-hit Middle East after meeting the Iranian president in Tehran on Wednesday, amid a brewing confrontation between Iran and the United States.

“Armed conflict needs to be prevented at all costs. Peace and stability in the Middle East is indispensable not only for this region but for global prosperity. No one is hoping for war,” the Japanese leader said.
“We would like to play the maximum role we can for easing tension. That is what brought me to Iran,” said Abe, whose two-day visit is the first by a Japanese leader to Iran since its 1979 Islamic Revolution.
While Abe did not mention Japan’s currently suspended purchases of Iranian oil, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that Japan wants to keep buying Iranian oil.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ct-amid-soaring-us-iran-tension-idUSKCN1TD0RJ

 

[Pauls' Revere]

These mines could have been released by subs. Just speculating.

 

[Swordsmyth]

These mines could have been released by subs. Just speculating.

The big question is what country's subs.

The US has subs that could do it, Israel has subs that could do it, I think Iran has subs that could do it (but they aren't likely to have done it).
Do the Saudis have subs?
Anyone else with a presence in the region?

 

[Pauls' Revere]

The big question is what country's subs.

The US has subs that could do it, Israel has subs that could do it, I think Iran has subs that could do it (but they aren't likely to have done it).
Do the Saudis have subs?
Anyone else with a presence in the region?

Or, a mine platform (no sub needed) on the sea floor that could remotely release a magnetic mine(s) to float to the surface. Think of it as a weighted mine with a remote controlled quick release.

 

[Swordsmyth]

Or, a mine platform (no sub needed) on the sea floor that could remotely release a magnetic mine(s) to float to the surface. Think of it as a weighted mine with a remote controlled quick release.

Placed by divers instead of a sub?

That would make the potential culprits include just about anybody with a motive.