Iran and Bahrain officials call for oil as weapon

[Joanne98]

Source: AP

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander is calling on Islamic countries to use oil as a weapon to end the fighting in Gaza, echoing a similar call days earlier by lawmakers in Bahrain.

The demands by Mirfaysal Bagherzadeh, a brigadier-general in the elite Iranian military unit, are unlikely to lead to an immediate embargo as they don't come from the oil rich Persian Gulf nations' top rulers or carry the support of other major producers like Saudi Arabia.

But they do highlight the depth of anger in the region over the Israeli offensive and the threat it poses to oil prices that recently fell to their lowest levels in years.

Benchmark light, sweet crude for February delivery rose $1.36 to $47.70 a barrel early Monday, after earlier jumping to as high as $48.68, in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Traders say fighting in the Middle East is partly behind the rise.



Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jE7rs0kwnnl6cJFXEDOwnqMlgJHAD95H04E00

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If the asshole republicans would just help us change over to alternate energy systems we wouldn't have to worry about shit like this!

[Bhaisahab]

1. What? And let the war continue??

An oil embargo is the only effective weapon in the arsenal of the Arab League. Can't blame them for threatening to use it.

[Pab Sungenis]

2. And no matter your side in the Gaza War

the fact that this IS their only weapon, and that it could be used so capriciously, is the best reason to wean us off the teat of Middle Eastern Oil once and for all.

[Bhaisahab]

3. IMO there's no such thing as

a 'best reason' to wean the world off fossil fuels, no matter what the source. The sooner the better.

[awoke_in_2003]

5. Quite correct...

we also need to wean ourselves off of our unquestioning support of Israel, who seem to be able to do no wrong.

[Baby Snooks]

4. Alternate energy....

Alternate energy is years away. And the Democrats have lined their pockets with the oil and gas industry money the same as Republicans.

But this is not the result of a lack of alternate energy - this is the result of the Bush Boys and their years of "It's mine, not yours" approach to solving the problem of dealing with what has always been the threat of another embargo in the Persian Gulf. They decided to just take what wasn't theirs. Rather than negotiate.

Rather than negotiate a fair contract with the Shah, they decided to remove the Shah and replace him with Khomeini. Who they thought offered a better deal. Do you all really think Oliver North just picked up the phone and called Khomeini and asked him if he wanted to do a little trading? They were dealing with Khomeini long before Khomeini left Paris.

Rather than negotiate a fair contract with Saddam Hussein, they decided to remove him and replace him with a friendlier "democratically-elected dictator." Who they thought would offer a better deal. And we will be in Iraq until someone offers them the better deal. Or the Iraqi people massacre our troops to be rid of us. The latter always a possibility.

Rather than negotiate a resolution creating Palestine and then negotiating a fair contract with Syria to open up or build a new pipeline to Haifa to transport the oil from Iran and Iraq to Israel, they decided to create an "axis of evil" and include Syria so they could invade and occupy Syria as well as Iraq and Iran. And if they couldn't invade and occupy Syria, well two out of three ain't bad and they could just negotiate with Jordan to run the pipeline through Jordan. One section of the old pipeline goes through Syria. One through Jordan.

It didn't happen but you never know. They have Gates at the table with Obama. Obama's table. Whose table is it?

They wanted a pipeline system to run from Russia through Afghanistan to both India and through Iran and Iraq and Jordan to Israel. That's a lot of oil and a lot of natural gas. From Russia, from Iran, from Iraq. And all of it theirs. Except for the oil and gas from Russia. Again, two out of three ain't bad.

The Russians got tired of the games of the Bush Boys and negotiated with Turkey to build their own pipeline. So even if we build the pipeline, we no longer need the pipeline from Russia which is why we are in Afghanistan although obviously we don't need to be in Afghanistan although of course Halliburton made sure Enron collapsed so they could build the pipeline and so why not build it anyway? The taxpayers will pay for it. We have a bridge to nowhere in Alaska. Why not have a pipeline from nowhere in Afghanistan?

The US using its veto to block a resolution calling for a cease-fire did not help this. But then the Bush Boys don't care about peace. They care about oil. And they are salivating at the thought of $150 barrel of oil. More money in their pockets. Don't be surprised if Bush puts on his cowboy hat and again tells them "bring it on."

And Nancy Pelosi and Congress will just sigh and wave their little flags and act patriotic.

As for alternate energy the only sufficient sources of alternate energy for our incredible demand for energy are coal and nuclear. Take your pick. Or get used to natural gas. When oil runs out, which it will, there will still be sufficient supplies of natural gas. That's what they're referring to when they say we have sufficient supplies of oil and gas to last us another 200 years. We at least have sufficient supplies of natural gas. So they're really not lying. Just playing with the truth. Of course our cars don't run on natural gas. Although be assured the auto industry, what's left of it, is working with the oil and gas indusry to develop a car that does. There's no profit for the oil and gas industry in biofuels. Just in case you wondered why they aren't developing them.

The other option for Americans and not only in terms of alternate energy is to move to Brazil. Brazil of course has tightened up its immigration policies. They don't trust Americans. I wonder why.

[leftstreet]

9. This is the best post I've read on DU in a long time

:thumbsup:

[Shipwack]

6. Very, very odd...

You'd expect this from Iran, of course... but Bahrain?

I suppose it's easy for them to make this declaration; it'd have no economic impact since Bahrain exports little oil.

However, they are (or were) a fairly staunch US ally. We have a major naval base there, which is home port to the Fifth Fleet. The US government supplies a hefty portion of its economy.

Then again, the local paper has grown less favorable of the U.S. over the past several years, which means His Majesty and Parliament are less fond of the U.S. too.

Doesn't bode well, even if it is only a symbolic declaration with little teeth.

[KakistocracyHater]

7. Yes but WE have WATER

They do not & ship water into their countries like we import their oil. Our politicians don't use this why?..........

[Shipwack]

8. Not true.... They have water also.

Bahrain is sitting on top of a large source of fresh water... It's why it was an important strategic location for thousands of years.

Besides, ever here of desalinization plants?

[KakistocracyHater]

10. wrong

http://www.iasps.org/strategic/water.htm The New Water Politics of the Middle East

By Ilan Berman and Paul Michael Wihbey


..."The crisis over water in the Middle East is escalating. Despite existing agreements, dwindling resources – increasingly affected by pollution, agricultural/industrial initiatives and population growth – have elevated the strategic importance of water in the region. For Middle Eastern nations, many already treading the razor’s edge of conflict, water is becoming a catalyst for confrontation – an issue of national security and foreign policy as well as domestic stability. Given water’s growing ability to redefine interstate relations, the success of future efforts to address water sharing and distribution will hinge upon political and strategic approaches to this diminishing natural resource."...


long World Band link
..."The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is the world’s driest region. Water availability per person is around 1,200 cubic meters per person per year, compared with the average of about 7,000 worldwide. Half the region’s people already live under conditions of water stress. Water availability per capita is expected to halve by 2050, a trend that will likely be exacerbated as climate change make countries hotter and drier.".....
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTWAT/0,,contentMDK:21634952~menuPK:4708988~pagePK:210058~piPK:210062~theSitePK:4602123,00.html