• 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.

    • Franzia@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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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.

      • 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.

        • solstice@lemmy.world
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          we should do better as a species, but in reality, what we have now is really fucking amazing

          I always say this when people say we should burn it all down. Sometimes they say it flippantly but some people actually think it’s a good idea to hit the reset button. Like it’s a good idea to go back to subsistence agriculture and hunter gatherer lifestyle. No, thanks, overall, things are actually going really well all things considered.

        • james1@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Some states do use their own definitions of terrorism to explain why it’s bad when other people do it but OK when they do it, but that’s definitely not a uniform definition.

          the calculated use of violence to create a general climate of fear in a population and thereby to bring about a particular political objective.

          - Britannica

          The use of violence or the threat of violence, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political goals.

          - American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language

          the use of intentional violence and fear to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war against non-combatants.

          - Wiki

          (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) systematic use of violence and intimidation to achieve some goal

          - Collins English Dictionary

          the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, esp. for political purposes… government or resistance to government by means of terror.

          - Webster’s

          • assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            If China sanctioned the US as a terrorist state and discovered a Chinese company was illegally selling oil to the US, would you be upset with the Chinese government bringing that company to court? And would you say it’s wrong that as part of the court proceedings, the company in violation agrees to ship the oil to a Chinese port, for the Chinese government to seize?

            If that sounds acceptable to you, you should really consider why you find it unacceptable and propaganda when the roles are switched.

            • GodlessCommie@lemmy.world
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              Im not disputing that, I was asking for the rational behind the worlds largest terrorist state (the US) trying to dictate who is and who isnt a terrorist.,

    • 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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          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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            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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              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?

      • 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

          • 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

  • 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.

    • Cleverdawny@lemm.ee
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      Seizing over a hundred million of oil is a pretty big ouch to any business

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        1 year ago

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

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          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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        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.

    • 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.

    • dannoffs@lemmy.sdf.org
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      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.

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            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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        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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          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.

      • partial_accumen@lemmy.world
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        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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          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?

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                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.

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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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            you got me on a technicality

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

        • TokenBoomer@lemmy.world
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          Your justifying piracy. It’s okay when we do it. But not when they do. How magnanimous.

          • SCB@lemmy.world
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            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.

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

      • solstice@lemmy.world
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        Lemmy isn’t just programmers and cryptobros fyi. Lots of people have interesting jobs and hardly anyone works 100% of the time. Gotta shitpost somewhere.

      • TheThirdAccount@kbin.social
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        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!

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

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      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

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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.

    • 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.

    • 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.

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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

  • 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.

      • ArmokGoB@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.

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          Yeah I’m pretty sure if I were being propagandized I would have heard about it on the news. In North Korea they believe that Kim Jong Un doesn’t poop. And I know that’s true because I saw it on the news.

        • Lemminary@lemmy.world
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          I’m gonna go with that it’s typically pulled out of their ass for some sweet dunking points

        • zephyreks@lemmy.ca
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          Just from the sheer fact that Americans probably consume more media than North Koreans, you would expect Americans to be more propagandized than North Koreans.

        • Blue@lemmy.world
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          There are two types of propaganda, the north Korean one which boils down to the party and leader who can do nothing wrong, and as a result there is only one truth, because the government controls it.

          The western method is to flood the person with a constant barrage of information, stimulus, and dopamine, it doesn’t matters the subject “the conservatives are sucking off and swallowing the loads of corporations again” “some trannny will ask you to call him she, and eat your children” in this case the truth doesn’t matter either, as truth has become another commodity to be bought as capital demands, you can buy your own truth, you can even get your own prophet, for the low price of 5 each month.

          • GodlessCommie@lemmy.world
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            The western method is to flood the person with a constant barrage of information, stimulus, and dopamine

            As depicted in Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

            • Blue@lemmy.world
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              I find it funny that the east (Russia, China, NK, Myanmar etc) follows the 1984 manual, the west yeah,

              As depicted in Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

        • Franzia@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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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.

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

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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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        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.

      • tryptaminev 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇪🇺@feddit.de
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        What? In the article it does state, that the company had to pay for the significant expenses of bringing the ship to the US. So it was likely seized somewhere, where the US has no jurisdication. This is just piracy and it is in line with US crimes like murdering an Iranian diplomat, they invited to negotiations.

        Critizising these blatant crime sby the US, that are similiar to what China is trying to pull in the Sea around East Asia has nothing to do, with being pro Putin or pro China.

        But it is no wonder, that China and Russia can muster support around the world, despite the shit they pull, if the US is still acting high and mighty, while being drenched in blood.

        • Krauerking@lemy.lol
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          The company’s vessel, Suez Rajan Limited, transported the contraband to the US and “incurred the significant expenses associated with the vessel’s voyage to the United States,” according to the DOJ.

          Here.

          Literally just try reading the fucking article instead of acting high and mighty without any effort because you want to be right.

          • CmdrShepard@lemmy.one
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            Where does it state blood was spilled? If the US seized the ship out in the open ocean (piracy), how would the company have incurred any expenses on the journey to the US? They wouldn’t be the ones piloting the ship.

            • Krauerking@lemy.lol
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              What? What? You aren’t even making sens and not talking as if you read the article or understand what is being talked about here.

              They told a ship of an American finance holding company to get it’s butt to their borders or suffer consequences and made the company pay for fees, and it’s own gas usage.

              I quoted the part of the article where it says they piloted the ship back to the US? Also you could still have the company pay all costs associated. So many people in here who don’t read.

              • CmdrShepard@lemmy.one
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                Yes it’s clear people don’t read. For example, when someone is asked to provide evidence to the claim that “blood was spilled” or “piracy occurred,” people respond with a quote about the company “incurring expenses” as if that is in any way relevant or satisfies the question.

        • deft@ttrpg.network
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          It is an American company. That is American jurisdiction. The fuck you talking about tankie?

          • tryptaminev 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇪🇺@feddit.de
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            The cargo wasn’t american and the company was owned by an american equity company. By that logic half of the US is under chinese jurisdication, because it is owned by chinese companies.

            Also nice, that instead of interacting with half of what i said your immediate go to is to insult me as tankie. China is pulling a lot of shit, but if that is the best the US can measure itself by, then the US is just incredibly pathetic.

            • deft@ttrpg.network
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              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

              I called you a tankie cause your blatantly being a goof about it.

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                America is not the arbiter of international law. Just because you can bomb people back to the Stone Age, doesn’t make you right. No one agreed to these laws and sanctions.

            • CmdrShepard@lemmy.one
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              I’d point out that this ship was owned by American capitalists trying to boost the value of their stock portfolio, but I think that might cause your head to explode.

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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.”

              Damn this is some new age piracy with the company itself transporting the contraband.

              This is why venture capitalists win. You choose hills to die on that have no bearing whatsoever and fabricate the existence of violence on the hills.

        • iforgotmyinstance@lemmy.world
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          Cope and seethe.

          I hope we seize so much oil that China, Russia and Iran have economic contractions.

          What blood was spilled? The ship turned itself in following a court order. No USN involvement.

          • CmdrShepard@lemmy.one
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            Also, piracy didn’t occur here. It was a ship owned by a US company who was served a court order, admitted guilt, and sailed to the US…

    • Franzia@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      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@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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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?

  • 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!

  • mlg@lemmy.world
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    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

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

        • Franzia@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          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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      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.”

      • hark@lemmy.world
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        Remember Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction?

        • 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.

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              I’m unaware of a pending invasion of Iran, and I think it’s about a year late for the kind of intervention I’d have liked to see.

              The Iranian government has no right to exist, and should absolutely be overthrown, though.

    • 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?

    • Badass_panda@lemmy.world
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      The government served them a court order, they turned the ship around and handed it over. No US naval involvement, etc.

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    I’m not sure how long the Chinese are going to tolerate this. They can surely seize American assets in retaliation. All because the orange guy had to replace the JCPOA Iran nuclear deal with nothing but sanctions.

    • Franzia@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      All because the orange guy had to replace the JCPOA Iran nuclear deal with nothing but sanctions.

      Biden has maintained and increased those sanctions in response to Iran maintaining and increasing their human rights abuses. This isn’t a fuck up.

      Chinese are going to tolerate this.

      Remember, China has the upper hand in trade with Russia, and extracting value from that. Iran is blending its oil with Malaysia, and so China is paying a reduced rate for contraband oil there, too.

    • Rapidcreek@reddthat.comOP
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      That’s about a two hour supply of oil to the Chinese. Since it wasn’t delivered they don’t pay for it.