Russia, Iran Proceed With Bilateral Trade, Drop Dollar; Russian Warships Park In Syria; Iran Accelerates Nuclear Enrichment
For anyone wondering how the abandonment of the dollar reserve status would look like we have a Hollow Men reference: not with a bang, but a whimper... Or in this case a whole series of bilateral agreements that quietly seeks to remove the US currency as an intermediate. Such as these: "World's Second (China) And Third Largest (Japan) Economies To Bypass Dollar, Engage In Direct Currency Trade", "China, Russia Drop Dollar In Bilateral Trade", "China And Iran To Bypass Dollar, Plan Oil Barter System", "India and Japan sign new $15bn currency swap agreement", and now this: "Iran, Russia Replace Dollar With Rial, Ruble in Trade, Fars Says." And ironically, the proposal to dump the greenback did not come from Iran. Per Bloomberg: "Iran and Russia replaced the U.S. dollar with their national currencies in bilateral trade, Iran’s state-run Fars news agency reported, citing Seyed Reza Sajjadi, the Iranian ambassador in Moscow. The proposal to switch to the ruble and the rial was raised by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in Astana, Kazakhstan, of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the ambassador said." Is Iran gradually becoming the poster child of an energy rich country that just says no to the dollar: "Iran has replaced the dollar in its oil trade with India, China and Japan, Fars reported." Next thing you know China, Russia and Japan will engage in bilateral trade agreements with the Eurozone in exchange for purchasing European or EFSF (which at last check are now forced to give 30% guaranatees) bonds, and bypassing dollars completely. But yes, aside from everyone else, virtually everyone (footnote 1) is still using the dollar as currency of global exchange.
And just to make sure that the message is heard loud and clear, Russia just docked several warships in Syria, the same country the US told all American citizens to leave two months ago. From China Daily:
Russian warships patrolling the eastern Mediterranean Sea have docked at Russia's naval supply facility in the Syrian port of Tartus, the private Addounia TV reported Saturday.
Governor of Tartus Imad Naddaf received the ships' leaders and expressed appreciation to Russia's support for Syria, the report said.
Russia's state-owned Itar-Tass news agency quoted a source from the Russian Navy as saying that "It is planned that the port of Tartus will be visited by a big anti-submarine ship of the Northern Fleet 'Admiral Chabanenko' and an escort ship 'Yaroslav Mudry'."
"Our ships are supposed to stay in Syria for several days," the source said, without giving more details about the warships' mission in the country.
The move is considered by many observers as an apparent show of Russia's support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad whose country has been gripped by a nearly 10-month bloody unrest.
The Russian Navy, however, claimed the move was part of scheduled exercises and had no connection with the situation in Syria.
The warships, led by "Admiral Kuznetsov," the country's only aircraft carrier, have started their patrol missions in the Northeast Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea on December 6 to "ensure the security of the sea navigation and other Russian maritime economic activities," according to the Russian Navy.
That this is happening just as Reuters inform us that Iran is about to move the invasion timetable by a few months is rather disturbing - recall that "according to Ehud Barak, the Israeli Defense Minister, after September, a successful military attack on Iran’s nuclear sites will no longer be possible, because Iran will widen the redundancy of its facilities and spread them out over more sites, including the impenetrable site at Fordow (near Qom), which is located inside a mountain." From Reuters:
Iran will in the "near future" start enriching uranium deep inside a mountain, a senior official said, a move likely to further antagonize Western powers which suspect Tehran is seeking nuclear weapons capability.
A decision by the Islamic Republic to conduct sensitive atomic activities at an underground site - offering better protection against any enemy attacks - could complicate diplomatic efforts to resolve the long-running row peacefully.
Iran has said for months that it is preparing to move its highest-grade uranium refinement work to Fordow, a facility near the Shi'ite Muslim holy city of Qom in central Iran, from its main enrichment plant at Natanz. The centrifuges and other equipment needed to start enrichment were installed at Fordow last year.
Iran is already refining uranium to a fissile purity of 20 percent - far more than the 3.5 percent level usually required to power nuclear energy plants - above ground at Natanz.
The country said last year it would move this higher-grade enrichment to Fordow, which like other Iranian nuclear sites is regularly inspected by the IAEA, and also sharply boost output capacity.
The United States and Israel, Iran's arch foes, have not ruled out strikes against the Islamic state if diplomacy fails to resolve the dispute.Iran disclosed the existence of Fordow to the IAEA only in September 2009 after learning that Western intelligence agencies had detected it.
The bottom line is that once the transition to Fordow is complete there will be no more possible ways to spin an invasion. Which gives a rough "window of opportunity" - expect to see it reflected ever more in the price of Brent as the September deadline is pushed forward by weeks and months.
As for the escalation in the USD-depegging, all that needs to happen now is for the brand spanking new Chinese aircraft carrier to do some wargames of its own in the Straits of Hormuz for the pre-terminal escalation chaos to be complete.
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All ready for WW3!
And let's mention next week's election in Taiwan that could lead to China invading Taiwan... if the democrats win.
And let's also mention the big ``celebrations`` in North Korea on April 15 because of the 100th year anniversary of Kim Il Sung's birth. I expect a nuclear test or some BS like that... could lead to trouble.
We must bomb Iran and Russia and China! Our Air Force will fly over all three and take out their targets within seconds, and then it's over! Easy as pie. Then all Americans will have free oil forever. USA! USA! USA!
Well the nutjobs nearly backed Georgia when they killed Russian peacekeepers in 2008. Russia deployed nukes and said JUST YOU TRY BITCHEZ!
Bush was sane enough to tell Cheney to shut the fuck up.
And some more news :
Panetta: U.S. will not allow Iran to develop nuclear bomb, block Straits of Hormuz (AP)
Iran intelligence minister says secret services arrested 'U.S. spies' (AP)
Arab League calls for more monitors in Syria (AP)
Hezbollah: UN chief Ban ‘not welcome’ in Lebanon (DPA)
Canada mulls evacuating Damascus Embassy, says Toronto Sun (Haaretz)
Bush wanted to do everything to lay America to waste, but he didn't want to oull the chord. He knew what it would mean for him to start WWIII. As for now he will slip modestly into history as a bad POTUS. Whoever starts WWIII will be the worst ever. He didn't want that.
I've said it before, W was much smarter than anyone gives him credability for.
Yep. The fucker got away with war crimes, destroying the constitution, etc... because people thought it was all a mistake and it's just that Bush was stupid. He looks stupid, but the people controlling him are not.
My mind flashed to when Jr. was explaining his actions....
Then sits down next to Papa....and gets the "well done son!" secret skull and bones handshake (you just moved our plans fwd by at least a decade)
To all of you, Strauss' Vulgar Many out there, as soon as the first bullet is fired in the Persian Gulf, you can certainly say good-bye to all of your ridiculous investments.
This is gettin' uglier than a wagon load of unshaved Rosie O'Donnells.
Rosie O'Donnells ...... JFC, just had a visual of that ....eeew!
US is the Third World = THIRD-WORLD-US = TWUS
TWUS has Two Tactical WMDs: FED RESERVE & PENTA GUN (FR & PG).
TWUS FR+PG Voodoo "Strategy": Take My Garbage Paper Or I Kill You.
IRAN TO US: NO THANKS.
RUSSIA & CHINA: We Second Irans' Motion.
EU to follow.
Seems ALL US'ians may soon have to resume working for a living.
Sorry Elites/Speculators/Fascist - and - Socialsits - and - Security Apparatus.
WORK - WHAT A CONCEPT.
More wanklord copy-and-paste. He posted the same comment yesterday. Look for it to repeat over the next 8 months.
Copy and paste something new bitch lord.
He made it boldfaced and everything!
Really OMG, "quick i better sell my Raytheon portfolio immediately"
American global hegemony is a good formula for investment (just not in peacetime goods)
The Morality of using the formula for personal profit is a different conversation.
Barry is in charge now. Why are we talking about the last guy? Never once anyone mention Clinton for over eight yearts. Now another Clinton is in office and all they do is talk about the last guy. No bias at all.
Clinton too was pure trash. The guy was dealing drugs for the CIA before he was president. He was recruted by Bush Sr. in the CIA.
Bush Sr? CIA. Clinton? CIA. Bush Jr.? Son of CIA. Obama? Considering his weird past, I would say CIA.
If you answer who the CIA works for, you get the picture....
Corporate america,
The FBI and CIA are the day to day operations, the NSA are management and the public are resources.
Don't forget Bush Sr. and the cool midnight tours of the White House organized by Craig Spence who just happened to run several male prostitute services....and then there is the Franklin Coverup.
ya the 0.05 percent tend to do that
"W was much smarter than anyone gives him credability (sic) for"
smawrt lik me
Here's the Penetta Iran interview. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjBQQdLVRbs
bomb China? And who will make the new Iphone5? Ipad 3? WHELL?!
Uhmmm...Africa?
Vietnam. We haven't bombed them since forever.
Might as well put it on the list.
Yes indeed, Africa.
Look at the magician's other hand.
Strange diseases coming this way, USA & Territories included...
Racially genetic targeted bioweapons are the next big thing, can you think of any race that does not want to exterminate at least one other race.
No, because african blacks are , in terms of Binet Quotient, functional retards.
Clear example in Rhodesia: munts, or moontz as dem called
they can't swim. they drown in a puddle because of social conditioning
moont goes to shop. no honey because Mugabamonkey done fucked up agriculture by driving smart whites off land
"stupid shopkeeper...there's no honey"
wake to reality.
i dumbfounded a few south africans recently, during the world cup. I asked them,
"how many moontz does it take to fill a swimming pool"
they thought it was a trick question, but it was a rhetorical joke. i had free beers all night when i explained it to them.
The same countries we bomb. Post WWII most thriving nations were East Germany, Japan, Vietnam, Korea. Notice the pattern? Go long Iraq, Afghanistan and soon, Iran.
West Germany, my Dear ... West Germany.
East Germany was occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, became a communist satellite state and defaulted in 1989 ('reunification').
mexico and central american countries
And be home in time for tea. You are truly deluded.
Tea? This is 'merica, we don't drink no sissy tea. We drink watery weak piss-tasting beer and cheap crappy pizza that gets delivered in 30 minutes because we're too lazy to cook for ourselves. Get it straight!
fuck that, give me some craft beer a home made pizza and a juicy article on zero hedge and im set
You forgot to mention a doobie as big as my middle finger. Don't fret, I remembered to bring one.
Yo, slewie! Got a light?
C'mon! Puff puff pass, Humphrey.
Figure of speech, but hey junk me all you want. The guys post might as well be Bush declaring that the war was over in Iraq. Please junk me all you like but the fact remains that China, Russia & Iran will screw the 'west' in more than one hole!
tocointhephrase, doing an imitation of Ben, the Over -Literal Dermestid Beetle, said:
Let's take a look at what Mr Lennon Hendrix wrote to prompt this reaction:
"We must bomb Iran and Russia and China! Our Air Force will fly over all three and take out their targets within seconds, and then it's over! Easy as pie. Then all Americans will have free oil forever. USA! USA! USA!"
Is it really necessary to ruin obvious sarcasm with a big blinking sarcasm alert? I can understand your misperception if English is not your native language or if you're afflicted with Asperger's Syndrome, but other than that, there's really no excuse.
There is no need for China, Russia, and Iran to screw the west when they can simply sit back and watch the west screw its own face in the ass.
Looks like I fell for that one
stupid or brainwashed?
who else can our govt piss off? seriously, lets bomb the ocean, stupid fish, lets start destroying water too, stupid water, it wont do what i tell it to do, i am almost speachless, even though we all knew this is going to happen. its just unfortunate.
Now is the time. America can, should, must, and will blow up the moon!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Csj7vMKy4EI
LOL ... thanks for that ... here's some real stuff
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=DJ3RrqBqk14
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Qv8yLT6jM04
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=iDIsOqq6yko
But it cuts both ways:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=sdWST9-X-sE
Oil to $200 and Silver to $50! Let's get this party underway! I must add that the US's gambit is foolish as all hell -- they will be dealing with extremely asymmetric more at chaotic and unpredictable responses that no war games nor game theory could account for -- Iran is not that amatuer nor is the US that pro to allow for this weird pissing contest to end well.
Is what We don't know that concerns me. What is behind all these pantomimes?
It's the unknown unknowns that'll get ya.
i don't want nuclear "tests." let's go all in on the real deal. see what the Farsi-phuckers got.
Awesome. This "should" be great for gold, bad for all fiat, but since when have technical details mattered? It gets interesting when the shooting starts, not before. What do the Saudis have to say about all this saber rattling? It would be a shame if a "terrorist" group sunk those Russian warships, now wouldn't it?
The fundos for gold are building to a crescendo. No wonder "they" did the take down in December. They may try another, but it is very doubtful that, in the foreseeable future, gold will come close to $1500.
Who says the russians won't sell them a nuke if the US doesn't back down?
Because a lot of Iranians hate Russia with a passion.
let's see.... Russia hates America (some history there) and Iran does to....
you sure?
and if they pay a billion per nuke for it?
The rial is an oil backed currency. So it would be a ruble to oil exchange as one of the tylers mentioned.
No dollars. Just oil
Oil > USD
russia can help iran out of principle
O really? Why's that, then?
ummm, don't forget about the 100k iraqi troops poisoned in 'desert storm' [left to dry-rot in the deserts grave-yard] by the brit's and u.s.,... wasn't that far back - but russia and iran is a different story, with alot of meat on it to be spun some 40 years ago, where the average populations age is 40 years old [long time forgotten?]
let's face it,... the world is getting fed-up with our ludicrous, malicious, hostile, and flagrant foreign policy bullying
what the hell has iran done? someone answer me that,... it was the arabs that caused 911, not the iraqi's, iranian's or for that matter the taliban in afghanistan
"not the iraqi's"
got one out of three right
331/3% not a bad ratio all things considered
Do they still beat women for speaking in Iran? Or are they still shooting them?
They don't consider it rape in the USA unless there is evidence she faught back. I think you are talking about our Alie Saudi Arabia where women aren't worth more than yeast.
It's Pakistain or Congo for me.
I had a friend married a kiwi girl.
i warned him against it before, and on the day. in the end he went through with it.
3 weeks later he phones up. "she doesn't clean, she doesn't cook...i'm working, studying and keeping house and she's doing nothing"
i said "you have to slap her...if she talks back, slap her again. when you go to bed, shag her rough and roll over and go to sleep when you have your rights provided...in the morning, wake up, stick it in rough again, and when you've finished, push her out of bed and tell her to make your breakfast"
they're still together.
what the hell has iran done? someone answer me that ...Nothing!!
Who did 911 again???????? Must of been those "arabs" that hail from Israel who hang with the Mossad.
the arabs didnt cause 9/11. catch up earle
And Japan used to hate China, France and Germany, etc
War makes for strange bed fellows.
The need for oil surpasses nationalites, this is a question for the survival of the spieces.
Recession be damned.
Who needs oil when we have derivatives?
"Nation states do not have permanent friends or enemies, they only have permanent interests"
All nukes have a "fingerprint" dating the time and the reactor it was made from.
Whoever originally made the first terrorist nuke that is used will have some explaining to do.
Yeap, that would probably be us.
The apreciacion in the DXY could be due to a decrease in volacity, since so many States are no longer trading with it, which means the initial snapback from another QE X will be tremendous.
Russian warships were not off Libya, are not off Iran.
They are off Syria.
What is so special about Syria to the Soviets?
Crystal skulls?
Perhaps Crystal Skull Vodka???
Maybe because Syria is geographically closer to Israel?
They have a naval base there left over from the Cold War.
Syria is similar to Libya. Both are foreplay for Iran. Powerz have taken Libya cause they would like to have ALL Libyian oil for themselves to sell at 200+USD to Europe when Iran rumble starts.
Syria is THE VITAL LINK (oil & gas pipelines) from Iraq to Mediterranian where Powerz would like to sell their Iraqe oil after Hormuz blocade. Maybe even Saudi oil can be piped out to Mediterranian via Syria.
In case Powerz take both Libyia and Syria , Russian oil will probably not be needed so much in EU.
Very simple: conquer all available oil & gas fields and pipelines and than block Gulf. Trillions guaranteed + bonus blocked oil supply for chinese where with little luck ...there may be civil war cause 100s millions (which just have bought new car) of middle class will not be happy buying petrol at 3-4 times higher prices than year before.
Don't forget Libya's gold, now onstream to allow massive quantities of even more naked paper shorting, all at zillion:1 leverage!
ivana
IMHO, Syria is in the cross hairs for one MAJOR reason.
They are the PIPELINE to Hamas, and Hezbollah, supplying rockets, missiles, and armaments to them FROM IRAN,keeping the shit stirred up in Israel.
They DO not WANT a peace agreement between them, and they do not want a Palestinian state.
Simply, their is no answer as far as these folks are concerned but the total annihilation of Israel.
It WILL never happen............we are prophetically getting damned close to the BIG one.
but zionism should be ended. then jews, arabs and christians might have a chance to live in peace.
ended by who?
"The Lord of the Flies"
Zionism is not the problem. The use of force to propel Zionism is the problem. Interacting voluntarily with others while avoiding any inclination to use force is an acceptable practice even in pursuit of Zionism.
let's not forget the gaza prison/death camps
bottlerockets don't equate to an f-18,... kinda like going into a gun fight with a water pistol
Free Gaza
http://freegaza.org
What middle class?
sure... they're just there to play laser tag....
Before the Kharkiv Accords, where a signing of the treaty between Russia and Ukraine took place, where Russian lease on naval facilities in Sevastopol, Crimea was extended beyond 2017 by 25 years (to 2042) with an additional 5 year renewal option (to 2047) in exchange for a multiyear discounted contract to provide Ukraine with Russian natural gas.
This was the result of the several-year gas disputes between Russia and Ukraine, which led the latter to pay an increased price for the supply of Russian natural gas in 2006 and 2009, including a halt of natural gas supplies to European countries.
Russia maintained a Soviet-era naval supply and maintenance base in the Syrian port city of Tartus, which was established during the Cold War to support the Soviet Navy's fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, under a 1971 agreement with Syria, and as a result, Russia became Syria's main arms supplier, after forgiving Syria of three-fourths, or $9.8 billion, of its $13.4 billion Soviet-era debt.
Amid Russia's deteriorating relations with the West, because of the 2008 South Ossetia War and plans to deploy a NATO missile defense shield in Poland, Turkey and Romania, Assad agreed to the port’s conversion into a permanent Middle East base for Russia’s nuclear-armed warships.
The current pressure on Assad's regime adds further pressure on Russian operations in Syria due to NATO's intervention and puts any plans of transferring the Russian Black Sea fleet and re-establishing their pre-Soviet era Mediterranean navy presence under threat.
The power vacuum created by the waning power of the Assad regime has also proven advantageous for the Muslim Brotherhood function in the area, which is currently asserting itself towards the port of Tartus, which can be prove a vital strategic point for collaboration with Egypt and Lebanon operations.
Hence the growing support and promotion of Turkish regional geopolitical interests, through US foreign policy, in order to control the "spontaneous" Arab Spring movements throughout the Muslim areas, with its influence caused by its status as a strategic bridge between Eurasia and Middle East.
Consequently, Russia is trying to achieve further geopolitical influence in the broader Mediterranean area, through asset acquisitions of natural resources, eg. gas fields, and substantial capital investment, along with its strategic energy agreements for natural gas supply via Nord Stream, South Stream and Blue Stream.
A military position in Syria also acts as a counterbalance to Turkish moves and adds pressure on them should they decide to tighten down in the Bosphorpus. The Ottoman Turks were the bitter enemies of the Russians and Syria was their prime external holding for centuries and while it is in Russia's sphere it prevents it from falling back to the Turks. Also and more tangentially, the Syriac Orthodox Church is an important patriarchy in Orthodox Christianity. Ties between the two countries are quite deep.