US Sanctions a Weapon of War by Other Means

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)

The US under both extremist wings of its war party imposes illegal sanctions on nations targeted for regime change — part of its war on these countries by other means.

European and most other nations go along even when harming their own interests — instead of breaking from the US aim to achieve dominion over planet earth, its resources and populations, endless wars and other hostile actions its favored strategies.

Trump escalated hot wars he inherited and is waging them by other means on China, Russia, Venezuela and Iran.

The US is in decline, exacerbated by Trump's wrongheaded policies. Beijing responded to his latest tariff hike, calling it "barbaric," warning it'll fight back "until the end" — with plenty of muscle and will to stay the course.

The more Trump pushes, the stronger Beijing will push back. On Saturday, China's Global Times called trade war between both countries "a test of endurance," adding:

US bullying shows "arrogance and narcissism…(It) must be prepared for counterfire."

Nobody wins trade wars. When Trump boasts of benefits to the US he shows profound economic and financial ignorance. "(T)he entire world laughs at (his) overt lie."

Other nations aren't laughing. They're greatly concerned about the negative effects to their economies.

An astonishing $17 trillion in European and Japanese interest rates, a sign of economic weakness, things likely to worsen ahead, are exacerbated by Trump's wrongheaded policies — driving the US and global economy toward recession.

The greater his trade war, the worse things are likely to get. David Stockman call the US national debt a "ticking time bomb."

It's growing at over a trillion dollars annually, exceeding GDP. Trump reportedly is considering big cuts in Medicare and Social Security to offset it if elected to a second term — reason enough to want him defeated.

If he's reelected and Republicans control both houses, it's likely coming as a way to help pay for the December 20, 1987 GOP tax cut swindle — benefitting corporate interests and high net-worth individuals at the expense of ordinary Americans.

According to the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, the 2017 tax cut heist "add over $1.5 trillion in debt."

"Now we know how they'll pay for those tax cuts, by cutting Social Security and Medicare" — what was planned all along.

According to the Washington Post, Trump "instructed aides to prepare for sweeping budget cuts if he wins a second term in the White House" — meaning social programs, while increasing military and related spending.

Reportedly he wants $845 billion in Medicare cuts and another $25 billion from Social Security. Hardliners in Washington deplore these programs and other social ones, wanting them eliminated altogether.

Iran is a key Trump regime geopolitical focus, its hostile agenda risking war on the country, an act of madness if launched given Tehran's ability to hit back hard.

Last week, Pompeo falsely claimed US actions against Iran aim "to bring stability and prosperity to the Middle East." What's going on is greatly destabilizing the region more than already.

He warned other nations against letting Iran's Adrian Dayra 1 dock in their port, saying they'll jeopardize relations with the US, adding:

"(A)nyone who supports it, anyone who allows a ship to dock is at risk of receiving sanctions from the United States."

He consistently and repeated turns truth on its head about the Islamic Republic, falsely accusing the country of "engag(ing) in malign and destabilizing activities" — a US, NATO, Israeli specialty, not how Iran operates anywhere.

His State Department said the following:

"The shipping sector is on notice that we will aggressively enforce US sanctions. All parties in the shipping sector should conduct appropriate due diligence to ensure that they are not doing business with nor facilitating business for, directly or indirectly, sanctioned parties or with sanctioned (Iranian) cargo."

Whatever the Adrian Dayra 1's possible original destination, the MaritimeTraffic/ship trafficking website indicated it's heading for Mersin, Turkey, estimated to arrive on August 31.

Reportedly the port doesn't have enough water depth to accommodate a super-tanker like the Adrian Dayra 1.

If its destination is correct and Turkey is willing to accept its cargo, perhaps offloading it onto one or more smaller vessels is planned.

Tehran and Ankara have good relations. Last year, Turkey vowed to keep buying Iranian oil, its Foreign Minister Cavusoglu saying:

"We buy oil from Iran and we purchase it in proper conditions." More recently it was reported that Turkey is seeking alternative sources of supply.

In the coming days, it'll be clear if it intends buying the Adrian Dayra 1's cargo or not — and whether the Trump regime will impose sanctions on Turkey if it maintains normal trade relations with Tehran.

Despite heavy US pressure and threats, Turkey broke with the Trump regime by buying Russian S-400 air defense missiles, the gold standard for this purpose.

Will it act the same way in maintaining normal trade relations with Iran?

Note: Mersin, Turkey is about 125 miles northwest of Syria's Baniyas refinery, a possible destination for the Iranian vessel's cargo.

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