Skeletor
Iran Shuts Off Oil Tanker Tracking System As US Sanctions Start
The US on Monday (Nov 5) is reimposing disciplinary measures targeting Iran's oil, shipping, insurance, and banking sectors in what US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called "the toughest sanctions ever placed" against Iran. In response, Tehran has reportedly turned off all oil tanker tracking systems as the sanctions take effect today.
Analysts at TankerTrackers.com, a watchdog that monitors production, refinement, shipping, and trading of crude oil on a global scale, revealed in late October all Iranian tanker vessels turned off their transponders to avoid international tracking for the first time since 2016. Madani said with the transponders turned off, the vessels can only be monitored using private satellite imagery. He believes that such a shift to lesser transparency is a ploy by Iran’s leadership to keep the international supply chains open amid US sanctions. The analysts suggested that going dark could pose significant problems in pinpointing the date when a tanker loaded its crude cargo. Between 2010 and 2015, when Iran was slapped with international sanctions, its oil industry discovered that it could keep crude on tankers off the Gulf coast to avoid supply chain disruptions.
According to TankerTrackers.com's research, there are currently six tankers with a total capacity of 11 million barrels moored offshore as floating storage, which allows Iran to continue deliveries. Iran is the third-largest oil producer in OPEC, and the country’s First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri revealed in late October that Tehran had been exporting 2.5 million barrels per day over the past few months, said Sputnik.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei criticized the sanctions on Saturday, saying, President Trump had "disgraced" US prestige and would be the ultimate loser in the long-run. "Sanctions from the United States will be reimposed at midnight tonight," Pompeo told CBS's "Face the Nation" on Sunday. He said Tehran must change its ways from supporting international terrorism.
Global oil markets were mixed on Monday, as the reintroduction of sanctions against Iran gave Washington's closest allies exemptions that allow oil to keep flowing to Tehan's biggest customers, mostly in Asia. "All eyes will be on Iranian exports, whether there will be some cheating around US sanctions, and on how quickly production will fall," said Riccardo Fabiani, an analyst for Energy Aspects. Iran said it would just ignore the sanctions. In doing so, the country would have severe difficulties maximizing oil exports since all trade in oil is cleared in US dollars, putting many international oil companies, traders, and banks off-limits to Iranian crude.
As explained above, the Trump administration issued exemptions to its closest allies in Asia that will continue importing Iranian oil, thus making sanctions less severe than previously anticipated. However, with new research from TankerTrackers.com and less severe than previously thought sanctions, this would mean tracking Iranian supply could be difficult, as oversupply conditions are expected to return in 2019.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-11-05/iran-shuts-oil-tanker-tracking-system-us-sanctions-start
Ex-Hillary Clinton aide to Trump: ‘You’re fucked’
Former Hillary Clinton senior adviser Philippe Reines warned President Trump that he is “fucked” because of the 2018 midterms in which voters will “render judgment” on him. “It’s not you vs Obama. It’s not you vs Hillary,” Reines tweeted to Trump on Monday. “It’s you and your accidental two years vs America’s first 240 years. It’s the first time since Nov 8 2016 the entire nation will render judgement (sic) on you. You’re fucked.”
Trump, who defeated Clinton in November 2016, has been campaigning for Republican candidates at rallies across the U.S. He has said that the election will be a “referendum” on his presidency and Republicans. “In a certain way, I am on the ballot,” Trump said Monday during a phone call with thousands of supporters. “Whether we consider it or not, the press is very much considering it a referendum on me and us as a movement.”
Meanwhile, former President Barack Obama has also appeared at events for Democratic candidates, and said Monday that “the character of this country is on the ballot” on Tuesday. In order for Democrats to regain a majority in the House, they need a net gain of 23 seats in the election. In the upper chamber, Democrats need a net gain of two Senate seats to obtain a majority.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/ex-hillary-clinton-aide-to-trump-youre-f-ked