• NateNate60@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    The legal grounds: The oil was shipped by a US company in violation of US law. American companies can’t do business with an organisation that the US government has designated as a terrorist organisation. Thus American authorities siezed the ship and its cargo.

    • Lafuma300@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      The legal grounds: it is ok when we do it. This is just old fashioned piracy, but of course you’ll try to justify it.

      • NateNate60@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        The ship was not intercepted by the Navy. They served a court order on the company and the company turned the ship back and its cargo was seized

        • TokenBoomer@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Yes. And were fined. But that’s perfunctory so that they can make more money smuggling oil. The sanctions are solely enforced by the U.S., without consent of the UN.

          • partial_accumen@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Yes.

            Your own link argues against you:

            "But the Suez Rajan case was unique at the time of the transfer because it was owned by the Los Angeles-based private equity firm Oaktree Capital Management. "

            At the time the ship was being used for moving US sanctioned oil, it was own by a US company. That supports @NateNate60@lemmy.ml 's statements.

            • TokenBoomer@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              That is correct and why they could prosecute this case. But they have been seizing oil since 2019. And even if all those tankers were partially owned by US companies, it still doesn’t change the fact that this amounts to piracy. Defending international injustice with legalese doesn’t absolve what this is. When China seizes our tankers because the parts were made in China, will you defend them?

              • partial_accumen@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                And even if all those tankers were partially owned by US companies,

                If the tankers or company is operating in the US, then they are bound by US laws no matter where they are in the world. A company can’t benefit from the protection of the US government and laws at home only to go abroad to commit US crimes.

                • TokenBoomer@lemmy.world
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                  1 year ago

                  Many countries can use that justification. Why are you defending an act that you’d condemn if it was done to America?

          • TheBlue22@lemmy.world
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            I could not give less of a fuck what a people like you think or believe. Your “arguments” are born out of propaganda. Hell, half of your fucking posts I’ve seem were “this is written by a website based in a country I don’t like”, too bad truth is not written by propaganda websites you love to browse.

            Go back to hexbear, grad, or whatever shithole you crawled out of, degenerate tankie scum

      • deft@ttrpg.network
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        1 year ago

        The contraband cargo is now the subject of a civil forfeiture action in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The United States’ forfeiture complaint alleges that the oil aboard the vessel is subject to forfeiture based on U.S. terrorism and money laundering statutes.

        The complaint alleges a scheme involving multiple entities affiliated with Iran’s IRGC and the IRGC-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) to covertly sell and transport Iranian oil to a customer abroad. Participants in the scheme attempted to disguise the origin of the oil using ship-to-ship transfers, false automatic identification system reporting, falsified documents and other means. The complaint further alleges that the charterer of the vessel used the U.S. financial system to facilitate the transportation of Iranian oil

      • NateNate60@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        Yep. Anyone can do that, actually. I can declare you a terrorist. It’s totally my right to do so, but the question is–so what? What am I going to do about it?

        The US government has declared the Iranian organisation a terrorist organisation. What have they done about it?

        The amount of outrage on this thread is just ignorant people learning how international geopolitics and the concept of absolute state sovereignty work for the first time. Yes, it is the case that big countries get to stick their fingers into the business of little countries. Yes, it is unfair. But that’s how it is and that’s how it’s always gonna be for the foreseeable future. That’s how it always has been for all of human history. From Ur to Rome to Vienna to London to Washington. From Chang’an to Beijing to Nanjing to Tokyo and now back to Beijing. In the next century maybe it will be some other country kicking around everyone else instead of the US. But I can practically guarantee that there will be kicking and there will be people continuing to complain about how unfair it is, because it is and always has been.

        I’d like to say we should do better as a species, but in reality, what we have now is really fucking amazing compared to when Genghis Khan would come romping around town destroying your villages and murdering your people, or the Romans coming and demanding fifty talents of silver by sunset or else, or the Belgians planting rubber trees in your backyard.

    • Franzia
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      1 year ago

      I am proud that America is finally doing something about this illegal oil trade. We have always turned a blind eye, and now we are actually forcing our hand to keep Iran from becoming a potential world-ending regime with no human rights for Iranians.

  • TransplantedSconie@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    So…will they seize the companies assets and arrest the CEO for violating the sanctions?

    Because that’s how you stop this shit.

    • dannoffs@lemmy.sdf.org
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      1 year ago

      You want the United States to arrest someone in Greece for transporting oil from Iran to China? I don’t see how it’s any of our fucking business.

        • dannoffs@lemmy.sdf.org
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          No. A LA based private equity company technically owned the boat at the time of transfer (they do not own it anymore, it’s been sold to the Greek company). That US based company is seemingly off Scott free in this situation and the Greek company is the one being fined and sanctioned.

          • deft@ttrpg.network
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            1 year ago

            AT THE TIME OF THE TRANSFER

            Watch as he desperately reaches for straws!!

            You literally said this yourself and then ignore that you did lmfao.

            US jurisdiction, just cause they tried musical chairs or whatever is just nonsense of them trying to pull some shit. Case closed sis.

      • TransplantedSconie@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        Seeing how they pled guilty and paid a 2.5 Million dollar fine and 3 years probation, I guess it was our fucking business.

        • dannoffs@lemmy.sdf.org
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          1 year ago

          They plead guilty to violating the IEEPA, which is a law we passed that says if we declare an emergency we can regulate whatever international commerce we feel like. The US being being wealthy enough that companies choose to comply so they can still have our business doesn’t make it right.

      • Rodeo@lemmy.ca
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        1 year ago

        For business sure. But what about consequences for the people who made the decisions?

        • jarfil@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          They get fired for losing the company 100 million? They get a bonus for implementing a better way of doing the same thing the next 50 times? Dunno, I’m not an oil smuggling expert.

      • NateNate60@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        Not for the shipping company. It’s not their oil. The Iranians can ask the shipping company for compensation, which they could easily refuse and there isn’t much recourse that the Iranians would have. The Chinese could demand compensation but if the company again refuses or claims insolvency or whatever, it’s easier for the Chinese to just stiff the Iranians with payment instead.

      • partial_accumen@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        The company is Greek.

        The ship was owned by a US company:

        "But the Suez Rajan case was unique at the time of the transfer because it was owned by the Los Angeles-based private equity firm Oaktree Capital Management. "

        source

        • TokenBoomer@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Great. You got me on a technicality. So it’s okay for any country to steal oil from another if that tanker, or it’s propeller, was once owned by the thieving country?

              • partial_accumen@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                Not piracy. Being held accountable to the laws in which there is proper jurisdiction.

                You’re making a strange nonsensical argument. Lets plug your argument into a similar theoretical situation:

                Lets say a US company owns a truck and is transporting cocaine in the United States from a South American drug cartel to their drug distribution networks in Vancouver, British Columbia. The police pull over the truck and find the drugs. Being illegal they seize the truck and the drugs. You’re arguing the South American drug cartel should be given their cocaine back because the cartel and the drug distribution network in Vancouver is outside of the United States. That makes your logic laughably naive, willfully ignorant, or maliciously in bad faith.

                • TokenBoomer@lemmy.world
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                  What gives the US proper jurisdiction? Iran did not agree to be sanctioned. Nor do they have to adhere to a law made in the United States, unless they agreed to it internationally. My argument is sound. Other countries don’t have to obey US law, unless they agreed to that law. This isn’t difficult.

          • SCB@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            you got me on a technicality

            “I can declassify anything I want just by thinking about it”

          • SCB@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            This is the opposite of what magnanimous means.

            mag·nan·i·mous

            /maɡˈnanəməs/

            adjective

            generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival or less powerful person.

    • Acters@lemmy.world
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      A dream that won’t come true, these people only see this as part of the risk of doing business and will try again in the same way, hoping to not get caught, or will find a legal loophole.

    • Franzia
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      1 year ago

      It would be better for the US if we didn’t sanction Iran, actually. But it might be better for China that we are. We are sanctioning against human rights violations, not just cuz muh money.

        • CmdrShepard@lemmy.one
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          This is like arguing you shouldn’t get prison time after committing a murder because you have kids and they’ll struggle without you around. These sanctions can be more targeted like in cases of Russian oligarchs having their properties seized. In this specific case, a US company was transporting oil in violation of US law and were served a court order. Iran is free to send their own tankers to China and Russia. I doubt the US would blow one of them up.

            • Franzia
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              Well I have to agree they target the people and have unintended consequences. BUT I disagree that they don’t hurt the rich and powerful.

              1. Just like here, the rich absorb 90% of the new wealth created. If wealth isn’t being created, they lack power in capital to exert.

              2. We have recently sanctioned Iranian individuals. This means they have trouble leaving their country, and any trade with them is illegal, which again reduces their bargaining power - so that actors like China can swoop in and take advantage of Iran.

              The iranian citizens are standing up and revolting. Iran has seen a lot of direct action over this 40 year history during sanctions. The idea that we are keeping evil people in power is new to me and feels really abstract. In my mind the only way we are making the situation worse is by increasing poverty in Iran. But are sanctions also stopping political upheaval, and how?

  • TokenBoomer@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    They could at least give Iran back their oil. This is like when cops steal your jewelry and claim civil forfeiture.

    • deft@ttrpg.network
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      1 year ago

      The contraband cargo is now the subject of a civil forfeiture action in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The United States’ forfeiture complaint alleges that the oil aboard the vessel is subject to forfeiture based on U.S. terrorism and money laundering statutes.

      The complaint alleges a scheme involving multiple entities affiliated with Iran’s IRGC and the IRGC-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) to covertly sell and transport Iranian oil to a customer abroad. Participants in the scheme attempted to disguise the origin of the oil using ship-to-ship transfers, false automatic identification system reporting, falsified documents and other means. The complaint further alleges that the charterer of the vessel used the U.S. financial system to facilitate the transportation of Iranian oil

          • TokenBoomer@lemmy.world
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            This entire story is about Iran. They are a sovereign country. It doesn’t matter what laws the US makes up and uses to justify piracy.

            • deft@ttrpg.network
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              US company, China, US money and multiple moves made to avoid US government from knowing.

              Sure kid

                • BirdyBoogleBop@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                  The EU also has sanctions on Iran so a Greek company broke the sactions imposed by its country. They used the US banking system to transfer the money as well and the USA upheld the sanctions of another country.

                  I don’t know why nobody else pointed that out.

    • zephyreks@lemmy.ca
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      It’s the same bullshit with the US “pay us taxes no matter where you are” bullshit.

      It’s clear international overreach just like everything else.

      • jarfil@lemmy.world
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        All countries do that. Then all countries also want you to “pay us taxes where you live”. Double taxation is a problem for many people, even between countries with tax agreements like in the EU.

        • zephyreks@lemmy.ca
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          The US is the only developed country in the world where your tax duty is based on citizenship rather than where you live or work

    • FlowVoid@midwest.social
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      If you tried to transport a kilo of Mexican cocaine through another country and were caught, do you really think Mexico would get its cocaine back?

        • FlowVoid@midwest.social
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          No, but they control what happens aboard ships that fly American flags.

          Do you think the ocean is some sort of lawless no man’s land, where captains do as they please with crew and passengers?

          Well, it isn’t. The ship has a flag, and while aboard you follow the laws of that flag.

          • TokenBoomer@lemmy.world
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            Yep. But you’re not mentioning why this happened. The Sanctions. Which are…tada- arbitrary and illegal.

            • FlowVoid@midwest.social
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              They are not illegal. All sovereign countries can refuse to trade with any other country or restrict the use of their own currency.

              Which is all that these sanctions amount to.

              • TokenBoomer@lemmy.world
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                I should have said unethical or extrajudicial. The United States is preventing a sovereign country from trading. Just because it is “legal” by American law doesn’t make it ethical. You can argue the legality. You may even agree with the ethics. But it is outside international law and condemned by the UN. I never argued the legality of the U.S. law. I am arguing that the sanctions are inhumane and unnecessary. So the ship should have never been seized.

                • FlowVoid@midwest.social
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                  Trade embargoes do not violate international law. Otherwise, we would condemn Iran for its embargo against Israel. But Iran is free to pursue whatever trade policy it wants.

                  And don’t confuse a statement by a UN employee for a statement by the UN.

                  Iran sanctions are meant to slow their nuclear program and thus de-escalate the region. It’s possible they are now counterproductive. But it’s also possible that without them, a paranoid right wing Israeli government would have openly attacked Iran by now. So it may well be the lesser evil.

  • TheThirdAccount@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    There is a lot of misreporting and misunderstanding about this. OFAC (Office of Foreign Asset Control) exists within Treasury and is responsible for enforcing sanctions usually created by executive order (“EO”), or very rarely, Congress. EOs and OFAC interpretation are very specific: some sanctions, such as the ones on the export of Iranian crude/products, are explicitly extraterritorial. Meaning, the US reserves the right to come after you no matter what country you are a citizen of or where you company is domiciled. It’s very rare for them to try this one anyone who doesn’t have US nexus since there is not much practically speaking they can do, but they could in theory. OFAC has, no pun intended, FAQs for all of this easily found at their site.

    Now, this case was extra stupid. Oaktree is the single biggest PE investor in shipping, going in heavy starting a bit before the financial crash and going in really big with Eagle Bulk c. 2012 or so. Oaktree is, as stated, a US company, but that wasn’t the main reason: they did this transaction in USD. Which was stupid, but having met the bastards at Empire a few times, I can say they are not the brightest bunch (as as far as I understand they are doing most of this kind of work in EUR with some shady banks nowadays anyway). Anyway any transaction in USD goes through the SWIFT system (which is why kicking Russia out of it was such a massive deal). This means there was simply no way this was not going to get eventually scanned since banks have repurposed their AML programs into sanctions programs or subscribe to sanctions-specific services like PoleStar’s PupleTrac (what my company uses) or Windward or Lloyd’s, etc. Now the dirty secret is that the banks don’t really understand movement data that well, but Empires has done this (and Venezuela) so often for so long, someone at Treasury probably said, “OK, since we got Oaktree all up in this, let’s make an example of of these guys to scare others away from these trades.”

    [spoiler alert: it did not scare others away from these trades and most folks estimate there are about 1,000 large tankers that form a so called “Dark Fleet” trading in Iran, Venezuela, and now Russia since both crude and product have broken the price cap at all Russian export locations. You cam make about 40% more shipping such cargos than legal ones.]

    Anyway, I digress, The the point is that OFAC doesn’t care if you have US nexus; it just makes you easier to catch if you do. Source: I am the head of credit and compliance for a large oil company that works closely with the shipping industry.

    • AlexisFR@jlai.lu
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      1 year ago

      Now I’m curious to know how a head of compliance for a oil company found their way to kbin.social.

      • TheThirdAccount@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        Eh, for one we are hyper specialized oil company so not quite as evil as your run of the mill ones. We sell fuel to ships, so unless everyone suddenly agrees they don’t need the 90% of the world’s commodities and manufactured goods anymore, you gotta use ships. And in a moderate defense, ships by far the least polluting way to transport stuff by ton/mile.

        Me personally I’m a big old lefty, even here within the EU’s context (where the American Democrats would be a center-right party).I just fell into this role and happened to be good at it. My function is far too niche for any green energy projects. At the core of what we do and the bit I supervise, we are basically providing short term liquidity to shipping companies, since you sell fuel on unsecured credit. Believe me I’ve looked (and keep looking) at green and adjacent spaces.

    • some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org
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      OFAC stole a wire transfer to my landlord. I assume it’s because he has a Middle Eastern-sounding name.

      They provided me a case number and I mailed in the forms I found online to dispute the seizure. They sent me a letter saying that they had no record of that case. I realized the futility of fighting the government over a couple of grand and switched to depositing money orders into his account and let it go. Created a lot of extra effort (not that it was difficult, just tedious) on my end.

      OFAC is a criminal organization.

    • stevedidWHAT@lemmy.world
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      I’m sorry man but when it comes to international topics I can’t trust some faceless user on the internet for a run down of what happened.

      Do you have any sources or directions you can point me in for more information about the inconsistencies in reporting?

      (Just had a thought, we should have meta news agencies that analyze news agencies (including each other meta news agency))

      • TheThirdAccount@kbin.social
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        Yeah my guy/gal non-binarny pal, I wouldn’t take some Random Internet Person’s word either (although I did mention where you could find it…)

        End of my workday and I’m tired and maybe could have found some better examples, but here’s the bit about going after foreign financial services: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-31/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-561/subpart-B

        I’m having trouble finding a clear example of the extraterritoriality of US sanctions against individuals, but it’s defined in nearly every EO.

    • TokenBoomer@lemmy.world
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      I am the head of credit and compliance for a large oil company that works closely with the shipping industry.

      So, complicit in the destruction of the planet. Good job, Sparky!

  • mlg@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    US navy commiting piracy on the open seas because they’re the only substantial naval force that exists globally

    Seriously though, they do this to Argentina too lmao.

    So much for free trade

  • hark@lemmy.world
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    You can tell from the comments in this post that Americans are immune to propaganda.

    • GodlessCommie@lemmy.world
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      In their view propaganda only comes from rouge nations, and their superior intellect safeguards them from the impact of foreign propaganda. Despite living in the worlds most propagandized country.

      • Armok: God of Blood@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        I somehow don’t think the US is more propagandized than, say, North Korea. I want a source on this or I’m just going to assume you’re pulling it out of your ass.

        • Franzia
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          most is an overstatement. Yeah I think we are, it seems to take a lot of work to get past my American biases when reading world news. I could fall into “America Bad” leftist takes, and that would be just as lazy.

        • jarfil@lemmy.world
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          Probably. Since it’s one with the least censorship, everyone needs to push more propaganda than the opposition…

            • jarfil@lemmy.world
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              Guess it depends on what we call “censorship”. Is it state enacted censorship of personal opinions? Is it censorship of porn? Is it how many reporters get killed each year?

              At least the US has the 1st amendment; a lot of countries don’t, or circumvent free speech laws with censorship in one way or another (free speech for me, not for thee).

      • assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-first-criminal-resolution-involving-illicit-sale-and-transport

        “In addition, pursuant to a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) and a seizure warrant issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Empire Navigation, the operating company of the vessel carrying the contraband cargo, agreed to cooperate and transport the Iranian oil to the United States – an operation which has now concluded.”

        Link came from this CNN article. Would you say that ignoring the facts of a situation and using it to push an agenda would be, perhaps, propaganda?

        • GodlessCommie@lemmy.world
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          transport the Iranian oil to the United States

          So everyone is cool with the US taking stuff that isnt theirs?

          • assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world
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            You didn’t answer my other question – if China seized oil from an international shipping company, because China had sanctions against selling oil to the US after designated them a sponsor of terror, and a Chinese vessel was going to be used, would you be just as upset?

            Because I’m fine with the US seizing goods from a US ship if they’re violating US trade sanctions – just like I’m fine with China seizing goods from a Chinese ship if they’re violating Chinese trade sanctions. If the company didn’t want to have their cargo seized, they shouldn’t have used a US/Chinese ship to act against US/Chinese sanctions.

  • TokenBoomer@lemmy.world
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    I’m gonna take a break while the bots and state department shills get their talking points worked out; so they can explain and justify how this is legal by international standards.

          • TokenBoomer@lemmy.world
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            Then they should take the ship, and give back the oil. This isn’t about law, it’s about power and control. And it should be considered wrong by any decent, civilized person.

            • HuddaBudda@kbin.social
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              1 year ago

              I think you are being unreasonable in that argument. It’s not like they have the oil in cargo containers and can transfer it from one ship to another outside of port. The oil IS the ship.

              Sure they could dump it in the ocean? Which would be the dumbest of all options.

              Or they could seize the ships, and tow them back to port. Which looks like the options they took.

                • HuddaBudda@kbin.social
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                  1 year ago

                  So now I have to prove my geopolitical stance on an engineering and logistics problem?

                  I can only give the facts, what people do with the politics is their own prerogative.

            • Franzia
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              1 year ago

              It is about power and control. We are uaing sanctions on Iran and many officials in Iran as leverage for the nuclear deal as well as other human rights violations. And this company fucked up real bad, otherwise we would have let them do it. So much oil gets sold in Iran, blended in Malaysia, and sold to China at a reduced price for accepting the contraband oil.

        • Badass_panda@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Another country? What are you talking about my dude? An American company bought oil from Iran (in violation of US law), and had the oil they bought seized.

            • Badass_panda@lemmy.world
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              It takes all of three minutes to click through to the court order here. All three companies do significant business in the US, but the money to buy the oil was US dollars, and came from Oaktree Capital which is based in Los Angeles.

              Which is (and this might be a shocker) in the USA.

              • TokenBoomer@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                Iran is not the USA. The sanctions aren’t recognized. Therefore, any laws America makes does not have to be complied with.Your arguing US law. I’m arguing international. They are not the same. The United States of America does not have authority over the world, despite what you wish. Source. Even the UN says the sanctions are illegal.

                • Badass_panda@lemmy.world
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                  1 year ago

                  your arguing US law. I’m arguing international. They are not the same.

                  No shit… these companies operate in the US, which makes US law applicable to them.

    • Franzia
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      1 year ago

      Of course it’s okay we sanction human rights abusers. Europe does it, too. Am I supposed to disagree with another country’s sanctions or something?

      • emax_gomax@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Human rights abusers when they aren’t our allies. US has been pretty chill with Saudi Arabia and they literally dismembered someone on foreign soil because they vocally opposed the tyrannical regime.

        • Opafi@feddit.de
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          1 year ago

          Saying there should be harsher treatment of SA doesn’t make the sanctions against China any less justified.

        • Franzia
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          1 year ago

          Saudi Arabia is allies only with our Republican governments. They have been and are going to keep effectively sanctioning us by raising the price of oil before our next election.

    • SCB@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      This but unironically.

      The court filings also show allegations that “profits from oil sales support the IRGC’s full range of malign activities, including the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, support for terrorism and both domestic and international human rights abuses.”

        • SCB@lemmy.world
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          Yes. Also that has no relevance here.

          Are you suggesting the Iranian government is not a hell state that deserves sanctions?

          • hark@lemmy.world
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            Plenty of hell states deserve sanctions, including the US. Being a hell state isn’t a criterion for sanctions. You’re just parroting US propaganda which pretends human rights are why it applies sanctions when in reality that is the last thing on their mind.

            • SCB@lemmy.world
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              So you agree they deserve sanctions and this is a good thing.

              Why are you arguing?

              • hark@lemmy.world
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                I said “Being a hell state isn’t a criterion for sanctions.” Sanctions don’t work the way you think they do. They don’t actually punish the people who make hell states the hell states that they are. If they did, then the hell state that would be among those that deserve it the most would be the USA. Do you agree with this?

                • SCB@lemmy.world
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                  No, but whether or not I agree the US should be sanctioned is not relevant here.

    • assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world
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      “In addition, pursuant to a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) and a seizure warrant issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Empire Navigation, the operating company of the vessel carrying the contraband cargo, agreed to cooperate and transport the Iranian oil to the United States – an operation which has now concluded.”

      • DOJ Press Release

      Is playing fast and loose with the facts also okay when you do it?

      • tryptaminev 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇪🇺@feddit.de
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        The US commited genocide in Iraq and helped genocide in Chile, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Cambodia…

        The US claiming to take a stand against genocide is laughable at best.

        It is completely cynical though, because the US still buys plenty of products that are made in chinese labor camps. It is crazy how much kool-aid americans drink and how deep they managed to put their heads up their own ass.

        • assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world
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          It is crazy how much kool-aid americans drink and how deep they managed to put their heads up their own ass.

          … You said in an article where a US ship willingly returned oil to a US dock because it was in violation of US trade sanctions. Could you please at least read up on the event before you decide to act high and mighty?

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldB
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    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    The US government seized nearly 1 million barrels of Iranian crude oil allegedly bound for China, according to newly unsealed court documents and a statement released by the Department of Justice on Friday.

    “This is the first-ever criminal resolution involving a company that violated sanctions by facilitating the illicit sale and transport of Iranian oil,” according to the DOJ.

    The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a US-designated foreign terrorist organization, allegedly shipped more than 980,000 barrels of oil, the press release stated.

    The DOJ claimed that “multiple entities affiliated with Iran’s IRGC and the IRGC-Qods Force” were involved in the scheme to “disguise the origin of the oil” and illegally sell it to China, according to court documents.

    The court filings also show allegations that “profits from oil sales support the IRGC’s full range of malign activities, including the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, support for terrorism and both domestic and international human rights abuses.”

    In April, the company operating the ship carrying the oil, Empire Navigation, pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.


    The original article contains 239 words, the summary contains 184 words. Saved 23%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

        • FlowVoid@midwest.social
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          It’s an American ship. They can’t transport Iranian oil for the same reason they can’t transport cocaine. It’s illegal.

          The DoJ told the company they were breaking the law. The company admitted wrongdoing and told the captain to turn around and bring the oil to the US. By handing over the oil, the company hopes their fines will be reduced.

          No naval forces were involved. No piracy, no interception at sea. Just a company trying to get out of hot water after it was busted

        • Franzia
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          If you don’t wanna read, but you wanna comment, that’s really poor behavior. That’s unfair to everyone else.