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Saudi Arabia Seizes Iranian Ship "Laden With Missile Launchers, Anti-Tank Weapons"
With Syria making national headlines on a daily basis, it’s easy to forget about the Middle East’s other proxy war raging in Yemen.
For months, a Saudi-led coalition has been battling Iran-backed militants for control of the country which was effectively wrested from Mansour Hadi earlier this year when the Sauid-backed President was forced to flee to Riyadh as the Houthis advanced on Aden.
Sadly, Yemen has since descended into chaos, an embarrassment for the Obama administration which just a little over a year ago held the country up as an example of Washington’s successful counterterrorism efforts (no mention was made of the alleged covert cooperation between the government of Hadi’s predecessor Ali Abdullah Saleh and AQAP).
Between the Saudis, the UAE, and Qatar, the coalition has managed to push the Houthis back, but the human and cultural toll has been high. Riyadh and the Houthis routinely play headline hockey in an effort to play up or play down the number of civilian casualties that result from Saudi bombing runs and Sana’a, a UNESCO world heritage site, is gradually being decimated as coalition forces fight to take back the city. Last Thursday, a shoe bomber and an accomplice detonated themselves in a Shia mosque where the Houthis go to pray. The attack was claimed by Islamic State which is of course notable because this is the very same Islamic State that is fighting to destabilize Bashar al-Assad who, like the Houthis, is backed by Tehran. Iran-backed Shiite militias are also fighting ISIS in Iraq, an effort which is now set to benefit from cooperation with the Russian and Syrian armies.
The takeaway here is that Yemen, like Syria and Iraq, is a theatre for the regional and global proxy wars that have pitted the US, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and to a lesser extent Washington’s European allies against a “nexus” comprised of Russia, Iran, Syria, and China with the latter having thus far only asserted itself via its Security Council veto.
What’s particularly interesting about this is the extent to which the traditional Western conception of who the “good guys” are and who the “bad guys” are has been turned on its head of late.
That is, Russia’s willingness to confront ISIS in a straightforward way (as opposed to through the use of various proxy armies who in many cases end up defecting and becoming extremists themselves) as well as the realization that the man once billed as the world’s number one state sponsor of terror, Qasem Soleimani, is seemingly far more interested in preserving the Mid-East BOP by using Iran’s Quds Force to combat Sunni extremism in Syria and Iraq than he is in facilitating attacks on the US and its allies, have left the world to question whether it is in fact the West that’s been the proximate cause of the turmoil in the region.
It’s with all of this in mind that we bring you the following story from WSJ who reports that on Saturday, the Saudis stopped an Iranian boat bound for Yemen that was “laden with missile launchers and anti-tank weapons, including firing guiding systems.” Here’s more:
A Saudi Arabia-led military coalition that has been fighting Iran-supported rebels in Yemen said Wednesday that it had stopped an Iranian boat carrying arms to the war-torn country.
The boat carried 14 Iranians and was laden with missile launchers and anti-tank weapons, the coalition said in a statement, including firing guiding systems.
It was seized around 1pm local time Saturday, Sept. 26 in the Arabian Sea, about 150 miles southeast of the Omani port of Salalah. Oman shares a border with Yemen.
The coalition said the boat is registered under the name Jan Mohammed Hut, an Iranian citizen. The vessel had a license from Iranian authorities to fish in those waters, the coalition said.
Saudi Arabia has been fighting Iran-supported Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen since March, in a bid to restore exiled President AbedRabbo Mansour Hadi to power.
Politically Iran supports the Houthis, but denies supplying them with weapons.
There was no immediate response on Wednesday from Iran.
Saturday’s incident is the latest seizure of boats allegedly carrying Iranian arms bound for Yemen.
The U.S. Navy and Yemeni coast guard detained a vessel called the Jihan as it sailed from Iran into Yemeni territorial waters in 2013, according to a United Nations report. The boat was loaded with rockets, plastic explosives and other munitions a U.N. panel traced back to Iran.
It was unclear whether the arms were bound for Yemen or for the Houthis, although the ship’s crew was Yemeni and the shipment was arranged by a Yemeni businessman, the U.N. panel said.
The reason this is important is that it helps to provide context for the various conflicts unfolding throughout the Middle East.
The key thing to understand here is that the fighting in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq is all related and it all comes back to the existing balance of power as delineated above.
Russia's official arrival on the scene in Syria means that Moscow is now prepared to defend this balance of power overtly, marking a step up from the dynamic that existed previously wherein, as exemplified by the story excerpted above, the powers that oppose the West were content with the "covert" support they could provide to their various proxy armies.
In short, now that Moscow has let the genie out of the bottle, it may not be long before both sides ditch the charade altogether, leading directly to a scenario that sees three proxy wars metamorphose into one outright armed conflict between the West and the Russia-Iran "nexus."
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human rights specialists
This shit-pie is getting thicker and juicier! ;-)
Looney
Owned by a relative of Jabba the Hut.
Why not?
This is the same in the continental USA. Authorities can seize anything, anytime, under any pretense. And this is precisely why civil unrest and war is inevitable, which the elites obviously can't comprehend, as they will be targeted.
They're called "rods" not "poles" unless you're fishing with a long piece of bamboo with a worm on the line
Quick! Sucker punch him when he's not looking. Then kick him in the nuts.
Y'all remember the Saudis already bought nukes form the Pakis, dontcha?
We're at a point now where no news is credible news. "We're through the looking glass, people, where black is white and white is black..."
Good! Let them all kill each other!
The world will be a much better place without those 7th-century savages.
Which ones are the good guys?
last ones still breathing.
Those pesky Persians.
How do we know that those armaments weren't for fishing?
History always looks favorably on the victors ... since they are the ones who live to write the history.
~ paraphrasing Winston C.
So things get complicated when you pick sides in a 3way civil war, never should have armed them in the first place, let um fight with sticks and stones like the days of old.
... They're called "rods" not "poles" unless...
... unless the interceped sailors are... hookers? ;-)
Looney
Something just doesn't smell right.
An Iranian flagged ship is boarded in International Waters (Beyond 12nm) by Saudi Arabia and the ship, cargo, and crew are seized. Last I checked, that is the definition of piracy (We'll get to the alleged cargo in a minute).
As far as I know, Iran hasn't demanded the ship, it's crew, or it's cargo be released. It's flagged Iranian, so it is under Iranian Jurisdiction.
Forget about the supposed cargo for a moment - Saudi Arabia has done enough, right there, to give Iran a justifiable reason to go to war (war of 1812 anyone?).
…but Iran hasn't reacted (as far as I know) in any way. Either they got caught making a sloppy arms shipment or they were unaware of what was on this ship.
I'm not seeing a whole lot of sophisticated hardware here either - really just ex-Soviet / Chinese / North Korean stuff that could have been built (or copied) by anyone and is at least two decades behind the technology curve.
Add to that the small quantity and the haphazard way it was being shipped and my "Bull Shit" alarm is going off!
If I had to take an educated guess, It would not surprise me if Saudi Arabia, or one of their "coalition" partners, was grasping for some pretext to get heavy handed with Iran.
This reeks of a set-up…and a piss poor one at that!
The House of Saud are pirates, not from Arabia, at all. They made a deal with the English, and get to be kings. Pirates, they remain.
Butt pirates as well. The worst kind.
Can you expand on the House of Saud not being from Arabia?
Thirdworldtraveler > http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zepezauer_Mark/SaudiArabia_Boomerang.html
" this unit fulfilled was appointing individuals to operate as copycat covers of the Ottoman sultan and Sheikh-ul-Islam (Grand Mufti), as well as the Safavid ruler, grand vezir and the Shiite spiritual leaders. According to Hempher’s account, these individuals were specially trained the disguised to represent these personalities.
"BBC investigator Greg Palast has reported that after taking office, the second Bush Administration told the FBI and military intelligence to "back off," from investigations of bin Laden's relatives.."
"Saudi Arabia means that it literally belongs to that one family, the House of Sa'ud. They rose up out of the Riyadh area in the 18th century, hitching their wagon to the emerging Wahhabi movement...British were looking for local proxy forces to help counter Ottoman influence, and found that their agenda neatly coincided with Ibn Saud's."http://www.conspiracyschool.com/blog/2002-iraqi-intel-reported-wahhabis-...
https://books.google.com/books?id=LOzpsSgrN4MC&pg=PA211&lpg=PA211&dq=Hem...
The Hidden Hand: Middle East Fears of Conspiracy By Daniel Pipes"The U.S. Department of Defense has released translations of a number of Iraqi intelligence documents dating from Saddam’s rule. One, a General Military Intelligence Directorate report from September 2002, entitled “The Emergence of Wahhabism and its Historical Roots”, shows the Iraqi government was aware of the nefarious purposes of the Wahhabis of Saudi Arabia, often known as Salafis, in serving Western interests to undermine Islam."
Jews Not Allowed to work in Saudi Arabia >"Saudi Shura Council Foreign Affairs Committee member Sadaqa bin Yahya Fadhel expressed his support for the Labor Ministry’s decision, saying, “We Muslims have no problem with the Jews. Our biggest problem, as an Arab and Islamic nation, is with the Zionist movement, and not with the Jews or Christians,” he said
http://www.timesofisrael.com/saudi-arabia-jews-now-allowed-to-work-here/
"Ariel Sharon, former Likud Party Prime Minister, Agence France Press, November 15, 1998
"It is the duty of Israel/ leaders to explain to public opinion, clearly and courageously, a certain number of facts that are forgotten with time. The first of these is that there is no Zionism, colonization or Jewish state without the eviction of the Arabs and the expropriation of their lands"http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Petras_James/Power_Israel_US.html
http://www.tmoamerica.org/sheikhgilani/desk/670-isis-british-brainchild >"The tentacles of jewry are entrenched so deeply in the fabric of this planet, that this article is not only plausible, it is almost certainly true."
http://www.serendipity.li/wot/livingstone.htm > Iraqi Mukhabarat (General Military Intelligence Directorate) Top Secret report, “The Emergence of Wahhabism and its Historical Roots,” dated September 2002 and released on March 13, 2008, by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency"
OK, so if Iran says they "dindunuffin", then the global community will call them liars as usual. If they say its theirs, for whatever reason, they are fukked too... The house of Saud is indeed grasping at straws trying to lure the "west" into a war.
I think your right
Mohammad the Hut.
Can't make this shit up, Kaiser!
At some point, you just have to laugh.
Didn't they ever take creative writing?
...or it could be Pizza the Hut.
I've seen plenty of video footage of lazy/crazy people fishing with hand grenades and machine guns, etc..
Give it back now. You would't like somebody taking your things, would you?
Come to think of it, how could they know it was going to Yemen? Do all shady arms ships file float plans? Was there a hand made "Yemen or bust!" banner pasted on the side?
"The coalition said the boat is registered under the name Jan Mohammed Hut"
I knew his brother Jabba, fat fucking slug of a arms dealer, has a blond sex slave chained to his chair all the time and a scrawny rat face side kick named John McCain
human rights specialists
Just more of the Mohammedan style. The Muslim religion is based upon war, conquest, submission, and slavery. Since the end of colonialism the head choppers have been going back to the old ways. Modern weapons allows for much more damage and more extensive operations.
Puutie is not attacking ISIL. Just using better bombs and targeting to those who want to remove Assad. Killing the same civilians as the Assad "barrel" bombs. what difference does the bommb casing make?
With a bow like that it might be technically referred to as a boat. But what do I know I'm Scooby Doo!
...worst Pricess Cruise ever...
Leave then Harmless Iranians alone damn it.
Rug heads pissing around with boats.
This will end well.
good timing, like a 3 point shot when you're down by 30 late in the game
A trinity of sorts would be the icing on this cake, like Israel starting some shit.
come on man, I was asleep we that far back in points in the game?
Why don't you try using them before letting those Saud filth lay a finger on you?
Right now the headline is "Saudis seize cargo on fishing boat with an Iranian flag."
In that case, the headline would read "Iranian boat opens fire on Yemeni Coast Guard boat."
Make of it what you will.
Shit this stuff is getting pretty heated.
when shit happens it happens big... now north korea and Israel have to act up...perhaps pakistan and india..... to get WW3 on the go!
For once, a WW that is not centered in Europe... oh, wait?!?
They are pre- invaded.
It's a new strategy. The Mexicans came up with it.
Go to work tonight, did u hear pakistan attacked india, they would friggen freak, ww4 by morning. Just by starting a rumor.
Where's the Russian and Chinese navies when you need them?
You may be interested to know the Putin consented to the UN sanctions against Yemen which included prohibiting supplying the rebels (for lack of a better term) with supplies.
OK, but which side are the rebels?
Ask John McTraitor which side is the rebels...he knows all of the "moderate" muslims
Exactly, that is why it is hard to find the best term.
They are rebels because they kicked out the old govt heads but then they have been in power before and are seeking to make their country more independent and less influenced by the western powers and SA.
Liberators does not seem right either.
So, like the US and Saudi Arabia are not involved in the "arms trade"?
An act of war for certain.
It's usually the case that a bunch of Mossad fucks were on the Saudi ship. They pull over the Iranian fishing vessel, hijack it, kill everyone but the captain, float it over into a suspicious location, load it with weapons, bring in the camera men, and call it a day.
I see the Mystery Machine is on a roll tonight ! Good analysis, Scooby! You deserve TWO Scooby Snacks for such insight! :)
I wouldn't put anything past the House of Saud and Isn'treal.
Scooby will be on a roll tomorrow pm. The Vet is going to drain my anal sacs tomorrow morning and I think I'll be sitting on a donuts all day long. I might not be a very good commenter tomorrow if I show up at all.
But just go easy on Scooby.
it's a good thing they weren't carrying wedding dresses or they would have gotten hellfire for sure
...or peasant children collecting firewood on the deck.
This was all pretty evident back in March, right before the conflict in Yemen started. The main questions are, 1) Who is Israel going to support (prolly Saud,) who will Egypt support (we know this one,) and with the Russians, Chinese, and Americans in Syria, how big will this conflict grow? What will happen to the price of oil which China needs cheap, and Russia and USA need increased? Have the Russians been working with the US this whole time? This is getting bizarre.
From March, 2015:
https://atokenmanblog.wordpress.com/2015/03/25/are-the-bin-ladens-coming...
No WAY! They super secret pinky sweared!
This seizure on Open Seas is an Act Of Piracy and constitutes and Act Of War by KSA.
If Iran has any credibility, it will not tolerate this situation.
Of course, if they had brains and foresight, they would have provided a Naval escort to the cargo ship. Stupid is as stupid does. And stupid deserves everything it gets.
Do smugglers usually array the cargo on the deck for anyone with wandering eyes to see?
gulf of tonkin BITCHES.
Who are the "good guys" again? I am confused...
There aren't any.
in this war the good guys stayed home and fucked the bitchez, bitcheeeeez...
yeppers
Oh well, hope our military complex has enough missiles built & ready & deployed! Or better yet hope there getting there soon on a ship soon, to our allies lol.
Wait!! Did they find passports of iranian tewwwoists on the ship?
The only good Wahhabi is a dead Wahhabi is the Iranian mantra. Barack bowed to the Wahhabi King.
Islam - The Religion of Peace.
What's the point of international waters if any nation's gang can stop you and search your vessel?
I don't know about all that, it gets so confusing but one thing for sure. If the Nobel committee doesn't get moving, they are missing the chance to award a second Nobel prize to the outstanding messenger of peace who heads this country.
This shit has been going on for a lot longer then reported:
http://cjonline.com/stories/121102/usw_missiles.shtml#.Vgx-Muk1dug
2002! and from the DNK.
No one had the balls to scuttle the ship or the smuggled cargo.
In fact, the US let it pass!
Iran needs to use the strategy that the U.S. and Russia are when arming the Houthis -- "these weapons are for the freedom fighters in Yemen who are fighting against the Houthis"! Then give them, err let them be captured by, whomever you want!
Forty years ago ...
Every Chinese was Chinese (did not know there were so many ethnic groups).
All Russians were Russian (ibid below).
All Muslims were worshipers of Allah.
Everyone in Central and South America were "cucarachas".
All in the US were white.
Now with ZH, fucked up!
Where Kardashian?
hehe.
as well as attacking & killing marriage parties
How heroic
The wahhabis ruling Saudi Arabia are nothing but bastards from the VenerealDiseasedJewishFuckkedWhores from past.
wahhabis are actually hidden zionists/cabals pretending to be muslims
I saw what happen's to those "america's supplied" Saudi's (and coalitions) in yemen. The houthi's apparently turned it into a very expensive "fire log's".
Nice.. (karma's is a bitch, eh??)
Copying is the best form of Flattery.
So, Saudi should be proud that Iran is now following their footsteps in supporting "moderate rebels" in other countries.