Us Embassy In Iraq Under Attack

[Mikel2]

In the end, the Iranians did call several hours in advance to warn. I suppose that's what really matters when it comes to showing intent.

[Nobu]

Some of that number may be the laying of a paper trail for disability claims later, unfortunately.

[Stuart Galbraith]

How do you have a missile attack with no physically wounded but 50 "traumatic brain injuries"? I'm curious as to the specifics of how they were injured and just how wide a range of effects are considered TBIs?

Concussion. If you look up some of the injuries in the great war, there is great emphasis put on today on them being PTSD, but at the time I think there was a good reason why it was called 'Shell Shock'. People were getting concussed.

 

I know one person on this grate site who had a car accident over Christmas and he is still suffering delayed effects even now.

[JasonJ]

At any rate, there are groups in the media that will try to use anything as ammunition vs Trump, so can't disregard the possibility that the media is hyping it up. Although for some of the soldiers, 9 I think it was were transported back the US after having been in Germany. So there might some serious concussion effects on some of them, which would then present Trump's "just headaches" as distasteful, even if he said so as a means to not escalate the escalation elevator even higher with Iran.

 

We have images showing were the BMs landed. So if it is known where the soldiers were taking shelter, it could be reasonably assumed that any taking shelter near were the BMs landed got some severe concussions. Or maybe in time, the actual medical reports for the soldiers will come out, although probably mixed with politicized aspects that would need weeding out to make even medical reports a reliable source.

Edited January 30, 2020 by JasonJ

[Stuart Galbraith]

The two things can be true. Yes, the Media is hyping it. Yes Trump is minimalising it.

 

It would be an interesting design study on why the injuries happened. You wonder if the shelters they were using had spring shocks under them, they might have been avoided entirely.

[MiloMorai]

The two things can be true. Yes, the Media is hyping it. Yes Trump is minimalising it.

 

It would be an interesting design study on why the injuries happened. You wonder if the shelters they were using had spring shocks under them, they might have been avoided entirely.

The shelters were not designed for withstanding missile attack.

[Stuart Galbraith]

No, I think it was just an Iraqi Airforce HAS wasnt it? And probably not that well built at that.

[Nobu]

The number of mild TBI cases in the U.S. is about 3 million per year, presumably without the help of exposure to ballistic missile impacts.

 

The number of mild TBI cases from the base attack is assumably higher than the number of serious cases.

 

Add in a theoretical number of cases reported after word got around that applying for max disability after discharge is easier with a TBI paper trail in one's file, and 50 seems reasonable.

[glenn239]

Nobu, not a biggie, but could you knock it off with the insinuations that US troops are money grubbing ambulance chasers?

[Mistral]

It's either that or they are out to get the president. One thing is sure no injuries occured.

[JasonJ]

US lifts sanctions on China's COSCO oil tanker company that were put in place in September last year.

 

 

 

The U.S. Treasury has lifted sanctions on Chinese crude tanker operator COSCO Shipping Tanker (Dalian) Co. Ltd., a division of state-owned China COSCO. The tanker unit was blacklisted in September 2019 for allegedly violating American sanctions on Iran.

The delisting comes just days before temporary waivers allowing business with COSCO Shipping Tanker (Dalian) were set to expire. It also follows shortly after the successful negotiation of a "phase one" trade deal between Beijing and Washington, which has seen both sides take a pause from escalating tariffs on trans-Pacific trade.

The sanctions on COSCO Shipping Tanker (Dalian) had taken about two dozen VLCCs off the global market, boosting day rates to historic highs in October. The return of COSCO's tankers will reduce competitors' revenue going forward, analysts said.

“With all of the sanctioned tankers back in the open market, overcapacity will weigh even faster and heavier on rates,” said BIMCO chief analyst Peter Sand on Friday. “In combination with demand being low from China, this will be an added burden for the crude oil tanker market.”

The U.S. Treasury targeted COSCO's tanker operations when COSCO allegedly continued to carry Iranian oil after the expiration of a waiver period. The United States forbids most financial transactions with Iranian entities, including virtually all transactions in the oil and gas, maritime and ports sectors.

COSCO Shipping Tanker (Dalian)'s general manager, Xu Yazhou, has also been removed from the sanctions list. A second, related COSCO subsidiary - COSCO Shipping Tanker (Dalian) Seaman & Ship Management Co., Ltd. - remains sanctioned.

https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/u-s-lifts-sanctions-on-cosco-s-vlccs

 

 

 

 

The United States will remove the sanctions it imposed on Chinese tanker operator Cosco for violating the Iran oil sanctions, Reuters reports, citing sources in the know.

One of the sources, from a large Chinese oil company, said Cosco had already been taken off the sanction list and only an official confirmation of the removal was pending. The other source said Washington had given indication it was about to lift the sanctions.

Washington imposed sanctions on several Chinese tanker operators last September, alleging that they continued to transport Iranian oil in violation of the sanctions that the U.S. Department of Treasury imposed on Tehran earlier that year.

“We are imposing sanctions on certain Chinese firms for knowingly engaging in a significant transaction for the transport of oil from Iran, including knowledge of sanctionable conduct, contrary to U.S. sanctions,” U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in September 2019, adding in a tweet that “We will take action on any sanctionable Iranian oil transaction.”

As a result of the sanctions on the Chinese tanker operators, 25 Very large Crude Carriers operated by a regional unit of Cosco in Dalian went out of service, and shipping rates for oil cargoes around the world shot up. This ended up disrupting shipping markets because it remained unclear for a while whether the sanctions only concerned Cosco’s Dalian tanker unit, which operates some 40 vessels, according to Reuters, or the whole shipping company with a fleet of more than 1,000 vessels.

Now, if the removal of the sanctions on Cosco is confirmed, this will lead to a plunge in freight rates, which makes it bad news for shipper but good news for the oil industry.

In the meantime, China has continued to import Iranian oil, customs data has shown. The latest from the Chinese customs authority revealed the country imported close to 300,000 bpd of Iranian oil last year. Imports could actually be even higher, with the rest coming from ship-to-ship transfers at sea.

https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/US-Unexpectedly-Lifts-Iran-Related-Sanctions-On-Chinese-Tanker-Company.html#

[bojan]

Some interesting reading and illustrations about shutdown:

 

https://twitter.com/MihajlovicMike/status/1221859998822780929

 

https://twitter.com/MihajlovicMike

[Adam Peter]

The two things can be true. Yes, the Media is hyping it. Yes Trump is minimalising it.

 

It would be an interesting design study on why the injuries happened. You wonder if the shelters they were using had spring shocks under them, they might have been avoided entirely.

 

There were reports that INTEL was timely and nobody wounded.

 

Then there was a witness report telling people thrown by explosions like ragdolls, and no dead was miracle, not mighty INTEL.

[Roman Alymov]

There were reports that INTEL was timely and nobody wounded.

 

Then there was a witness report telling people thrown by explosions like ragdolls, and no dead was miracle, not mighty INTEL.

 

Or just good coverup....

Now official number of WIA is 100+ ( https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/10/politics/traumatic-brain-injuries-iran-strike/index.html?utm_medium=social&utm_term=link&utm_content=2020-02-10T17%3A21%3A09&utm_source=twCNNOver 100 US troops have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries following Iran strike ) trend is like this, if WIA is X and KIA is Y:

1. X = 0, Y = 0

2. X = 11, Y = 0

3. X = 34, Y = 0

4. X = 50, Y = 0

5. X = 64, Y = 0

6. X=100+?, Y = 0

 

[Jeff]

This is a dramatic miscalculation by Iran. If they're looking to change the subject from COVID-19 or if the illness has caused instability in the balance of power internally or just a really bad decision, this will not end well for them.

 

Jennifer Griffin
@JenGriffinFNC

 

2 Americans and 1 Brit were killed when 15 Katyusha rockets landed at Taji Base in Iraq at about 7:52 pm local time today. "ISIS doesn't have this capability," I am told by a US military source. The US military is still treating the wounded right now, which number more than 11.

 

4:04 PM · Mar 11, 2020

https://twitter.com/JenGriffinFNC/status/1237831760207130625

 

 

[Der Zeitgeist]

This is a dramatic miscalculation by Iran. If they're looking to change the subject from COVID-19 or if the illness has caused instability in the balance of power internally or just a really bad decision, this will not end well for them.

 

Remember when people told you the actual retaliation for the Soleimani hit would come at a later time, when the US wouldn't really expect it any more?

[lucklucky]

Bizarre, why wouldn't expect it? the low level war between Iran and US have been on for a long time.

 

Meanwhile, while not confirmed.

General Siamand Mashhadani, Iranian Revolutionary Guards Top Commander, killed by American airstrike in Iraq.

[Jeff]

Bizarre, why wouldn't expect it? the low level war between Iran and US have been on for a long time.

 

Meanwhile, while not confirmed.

General Siamand Mashhadani, Iranian Revolutionary Guards Top Commander, killed by American airstrike in Iraq.

If true, the Ayatollah must be thinking this right now about IRGC commanders.

 

[Nobu]

Washington appears to have been ready for Iranian retaliation of last week's nature. Targeting the decision makers is an interesting way to fight.

[Murph]

Washington appears to have been ready for Iranian retaliation of last week's nature. Targeting the decision makers is an interesting way to fight.

But I like it.

[glenn239]

 

Washington appears to have been ready for Iranian retaliation of last week's nature. Targeting the decision makers is an interesting way to fight.

But I like it.

 

 

Give it 20 years and see if you still like it.

[Jeff]

 

 

Washington appears to have been ready for Iranian retaliation of last week's nature. Targeting the decision makers is an interesting way to fight.

But I like it.

 

 

Give it 20 years and see if you still like it.

 

What's your plan?

[glenn239]

 

 

 

Washington appears to have been ready for Iranian retaliation of last week's nature. Targeting the decision makers is an interesting way to fight.

But I like it.

 

 

Give it 20 years and see if you still like it.

 

What's your plan?

 

 

Limit high-level assassinations to the minimum possible to get the job done. Try warning videos first, (send the target a video of himself in the cross hairs on a beach or whatever). Above all else, we always need to remember that whatever we're doing today, they will be able to do tomorrow and that what comes around goes around.

[Jeff]

 

 

 

 

Washington appears to have been ready for Iranian retaliation of last week's nature. Targeting the decision makers is an interesting way to fight.

But I like it.

 

 

Give it 20 years and see if you still like it.

 

What's your plan?

 

 

1) Limit high-level assassinations to the minimum possible to get the job done. 2) Try warning videos first, (send the target a video of himself in the cross hairs on a beach or whatever). 3) Above all else, we always need to remember that whatever we're doing today, they will be able to do tomorrow and that what comes around goes around.

 

 

1) Well, that's perfectly nebulous.

2) And once warned, what do you think the targets will do? Just sit there waiting to be plinked by a drone?

3) They are starting it, we are responding and using asymmetrical warfare back at them. The Iranians are perfectly willing to fight to the last Islamic militiaman and American. Plinking the leaders actually pulling the strings while they are in Iraq pulling them is a way to let them know it's going to hurt. Playing whack-a-mole with low level cannon fodder is a losing game. Do I expect the Iranians to just give up and go home? Nope, they will keep trying but each one will have to worry every time they poke their heads out of a hole. In the meantime, the Iranian people are getting fed up.

[glenn239]

1) A commander needs to ask himself this. Does killing this guy advance the conflict resolution or set it back? if you keep whacking the successor just to hear the thunk, then what Darwin says is that you are really doing is selecting for the guy smart enough not to get thunked . Once a dud is in charge, why kill ‘em? He’s already as stupid and lethargic as the situation will allow.

 

2) In WW1 when the snipers would shoot the mugs out of soldier’s hands and such, the demonstrations tended to cause the soldiers to be less enthusiastic about doing their jobs. So, the answer is, shows of force to make these guys less enthusiastic about doing their jobs. Of course, not everyone responds with cooperation, which goes back to (1) above - does killing this guy advance towards the resolution of the bigger problem?

 

3) Sure, Roger Waters called it the bravery of being out of range. Problem is going forward is what happens when the “out of range” bit no longer is true. The Israelis are trying to get around that by ramping up to the 100-for-1 retaliation ratio, but that seems more of a stop gap than a permanent solution. We talk about threats to democracy. Hey, you what would be a threat to democracy? What if every time there was an election the leaders got whacked by some enemy power whose leaders we're hunting? Is that going to happen today? No, but 30 years from now....? Who knows. What comes around goes around, right?

 

I think it was Obama that realised that just droning the other guys leaders because you could didn't resolve anything. You need good intel on the enemy's organisation, right down to the individual level. Think of drones more like pruning clippers than a chain saw.

Edited March 19, 2020 by glenn239