Tuvalu warned by US 'for breaking Iran sanctions'
Source: The Telegraph
The European Union banned Iranian oil imports as well as providing insurance for vessels carrying Iranian oil on July 1, and the United States has new economic sanctions that have curbed Iranian oil imports by most other major nations.
Reflagging ships masks their ownership, which could make it easier for Iran to obtain insurance and financing for the cargoes, as well as find buyers for the shipments without attracting attention from the United States and European Union.
The National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) changed the names and flags of many of its oil tankers ahead of the EU ban, part of sweeping economic measures aimed at pressuring Tehran to end its nuclear program.
As many as 22 ships owned by the National Iranian Tanker Company have been registered in Tuvalu, said Howard Berman, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee.
Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/tuvalu/9388367/Tuvalu-warned-by-US-for-breaking-Iran-sanctions.html
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Waterworld?
Just give it a little time. 
We're picking on LITERALLY the 4th smallest country in the world!?!?!?!? I mean we gave Japan a pass and exempted them. Because.... it's Japan and they've already suffered enough.
And then we gave China a pass because.... well, they're China and they own us so they can do pretty much what they want. And even Turkey, India, Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia, South Africa and Sri Lanka had been given 6-month exemptions from the sanctions.
So in order to burnish are sullied reputation we decide that we're going to go and pick on Tuvalu? A country made up of 10,544 people and where: ''Tuvalu consists of three reef islands and six true atolls. Its small, scattered group of atolls have poor soil and a total land area of only about 26 square kilometres (less than 10 sq. mi) making it the fourth smallest country in the world.''Tuvalu|link
- Damn USA-America, this shit stinks. Why don't you go and find someone your own damned size to pick on???
> We're picking on LITERALLY the 4th smallest country in the world!?!?!?!?
And that's only because 2 of the 3 other countries below them can fight back!
The three smaller countries are Vatican City (they'll excommunicate too many
members of the administration), Monaco (who have their gambling tabs) and
Nauru (an obscure broke island that couldn't even manage to survive as a
tax haven or money-laundering base so it now has 90% unemployment,
no personal taxes & the most obese population in the world ... even the
best spinmeisters of the US administration couldn't turn *that* into a victory).
...I'm comparing a policy of inequality. A policy where we are prepared to do bad things to those who do thing we don't like, and look the other way when others who are a threat to us or are our friends do as they damn well please.
- It's called hypocrisy. Which makes us hypocrites. Eventually hypocrites end up paying for it......
> Vatican
- Secretive with regards to own operations
- Very keen on "Do as I say" rather than "Do as I do"
- Many overly-religious members in the administration
> Monaco
- Lots of very rich (0.1%ers) living in luxury provided by the "peasants"
- Large part of the economy depends on gambling in one form or another
- No taxes on the very rich
> Nauru
- Money-laundering
- No personal taxes (even on the very poor!)
- High rate of obesity
I see SOS Clinton on the news she's hectoring some country about their failings. And that's just one example.
Like all bullys, we only pick on those who are weaker than we are. It's sickening and makes
me ashamed ** to call myself an American.
This dick-waving on the part of the U.S. has got to stop. In the meantime, I hope that Iran DOES build a nuclear weapon. Not because I believe in nuclear proliferation. I think ALL nuclear weapons should be outlawed.
But in Iran's case, it's the only way to defend themselves from the greatest sponsor of state terrorism on the planet, and to prevent their country from being sown with cluster bombs and depleted uranium and their children being born with horrific birth defects.
Maybe we need to pick another national anthem. One that doesn't celebrate "bombs bursting in air". 
How about, "Confirm thy soul in self-control; thy liberty in LAW". But I digress....
* * *
** Interesting thing -- As I'm typing this, there's a woman-caller on the Diane Reim show who's saying she's "ashamed" of the US meddling around the world. I am not alone. 
