Saudis break diplomatic ties with Iran
According to the Associated Press, the Saudi Arabian Kingdom has severed some diplomatic ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran because the Iranians got upset with then over the execution of Shi’ite cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr for his terrorist activities during the brief and weak “Arab Spring” uprising in the kingdom.
The execution Saturday of Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others convicted of terror charges — the largest mass execution carried out by Saudi Arabia since 1980 — laid bare the sectarian divisions gripping the region. Shiite protesters took to the streets from Bahrain to Pakistan, while Arab allies of Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia lined up behind the kingdom.
The escalating tensions between the two longtime regional rivals looks to further imperil efforts to end the wars in Syria and Yemen, where Saudi Arabia and Iran back rival sides.
Of course, it complicates a lot of things going on in the region. Iranians attacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran, but the government there condemned those attacks. The Germans and Russia have stepped up to offer their services for mediation in the dispute.
Category: Terror War
🙄 “YAWN” 🙄
This affects us how?
Ummm. . .. generally, when diplomatic relations stop, a shooting war starts.
But this might not be a bad thing if it’s kept in the ME.
—IF— the biggest little word in the English language.
I feel more and more that I’m living that ancient Chinese proverb, “May you be cursed to live in interesting times”.
Use much gas, ChipNASA?
Um…well…. (You’ve got a point.)
Vlad is REALLY looking for a wider market, you know. ISIS has stolen enough crude to undercut his prices. He and his friends need cash to support their lifestyles.
Not sure how much of a threat that is now that we’re exporting oil again. What does affect us with the Saudis is FMS.
http://www.caller.com/news/energy-effects/oil/nustar-conocophillips-start-oil-exports-from-corpus-christi-2825afa2-a9d4-2a20-e053-0100007f5d89-363868531.html
Well, CC – if the Saudis shut down production and/or can’t safely export oil through the Strait of Hormuz due to hostilities with Iran, what do you suppose supply and demand says happens to the price of oil worldwide?
If you said “it goes to to or past $100 a barrel again”, give yourself a gold star. And if that happens, you can kiss $2/gallon (and almost certainly $3/gallon) gas goodbye.
Yes, Hondo, BUT while the Saudis have (so far) the largest proven reserves, the Russians are not far behind them.
Venezuela proven 297,740MMbbl
Saudi proven rsrvs 268,350MMbbl
Russia proven rsrvs 80,000MMbbl
Canada proven rsrvs 173,625–175,200MMbbl
Those are proven as opposed to untested/unproven. Also, Mongolia has a large set of proven reserves as well as unproven.
I expect that the US job would be to help keep the Straits of Hormel** open for the Saudis. Let’s hope that kind of common sense creeps into this.
**Remember Jimmy Carter could not really pronounce Hormuz. I fixed it for him: Hormel.
Well we all know how the Germans and Russians have historically “mediated” disputes….the Iranians might want to be very cautious in accepting that level of assistance.
I saw this on the news this morning and I wondered what the outcome will be in the long term. This goes beyond mere diplomatic relations.
Hmm, beyond diplomatic relations? Probably Russia will sell Iran more S-300 missile systems? The U.S. will refuse to sell anything to Saudi Arabia, maybe because they’re the “wrong” Muslims, according Boy Blunder and Horse Face? After all, those two think that Iran is our new BFF.
once upon a time, in a world far, far away, attacking a consulate or embassy was considered an act of war. There was one exception, I believe, when radicals and students happened to occupy embassy grounds of a country led by a ball-less gelding legume farmer of little note and less repute… can’t remember who that individual gutless wonder was, offhand…
Wait, it’s coming to me. Was he the one that was also a governor and once rode around in submarines?
I’m somehow hearing the mispronounced word “nuke-you-ler”
He also blows his own horn about building houses for leeching ingrates who turn them into uninhabitable shacks in under 5 years.
I thought this take was very interesting….the source claims that the Saudis did the break without caring what the U.S. thought about it, because they’re sick of the U.S. backing down from Iran at every turn.
Sadly, if that’s true I can’t say that I’d blame the Saudis for that attitude.
My friend in Israel said,
“I think that in the past years, especially with Obama, Israel started to ignore US diplomacy in the area. That’s also true for Israeli civilians that were really mad about Obama and his decisions and acts at start but today just ignores completely from what he says. He is “obsolete” from IL point of view :)”
“Not sure though that that’s true for the US in general, as the US help and backup to IL over the years is highly appreciated and the collaboration between the armies and intelligence is still great and important.”
He also spoke at some length about Saudi, Iran, Egypt, and the Muslim community at large. He served in the IDF in a commando unit in Lebanon. I will be in Tel Aviv on Saturday, I trust what he says.
John Kerry will have this fixed in no time. Somebody get Cat Stevens on the line. I don’t think James Taylor is gonna cut it this time.
700 years of Sunni-Shia feuding, fixed just like that! Did you know Kerry was in Viet Nam?
Yusef Islam is not available due to his Global Caliphate Tour 2016++++
I honestly can’t keep up anymore. If anybody is selling programs, I’ll take one, please.
This has nothing to do with this discussion, just an amusing image that can be used in many situations.
The Venn Diagram of Irrational Nonsense.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Uo7D8b5VgnM/UU756FnR60I/AAAAAAAAEcs/1FnzP6D1VxE/s1600/VDOIN0.D.png
Hey! I happen to know that reflexology and dousing actually WORK!
🙂
PN, just stock up on popcorn or whatever snacks you like, make some chocolate mousse and freeze it, and load up on various beverages.
I’m as confused as you are.
Wow executed 47 people including Nimr. That must have been a busy time after noon prayers in Deera Square aka Chop Chop Square. gas prices will probably jump (any excuse will do). Now if this leads to an event that draws transnational terrorist crazies to the ME (for extermination) and is contained there… WIN WIN WIN.
Reality is it won’t be contained there.
I read the executions were carried out at different locations throughout the kingdom, with either a firing squad or beheading the methods employed.
I’ve been present at 2 public executions in Saudi Arabia. Both were surprisingly calm and reserved if I can use such a term. The first one I witnessed was near Hail. 2 Pakistani men were hung and 1 woman was stoned to death a short distance from the hanging. I elected not to watch the gory details but it seems like the men were throwing rocks for at least 5 minutes. The second one was in Riyadh Deera Square, two men were beheaded after noon prayers. Maybe just my skewed way of looking at it but to me it seems if you were an obvious westerner in the crowd you were funneled forward to get as close a look as possible with a definite under current of this could be you infidel. But then again maybe it was just me and my perspective.
Watch what happens in the Eastern Province (Dammam) where the majority of the Shiites are in KSA. I’d expect the clerics to get the masses all fired up, followed by the SANG being mobilized to control rioting.
If the Saudis have problems keeping things under control, look for them to seek “help” from their fellow Sunnis in the GCC. The Saudis stepped in a few years ago when their was rioting in Bahrain over Sunni/Shia issues.
Bahrain… never seen so many vehicles with royal plates loaded down to the axles with liquor driving back into the Kingdom after a weekend of fun and games in Manama.
If we’re going to talk about chaos theory and dousing on the same page, I will leave this here.
Back in 2012, just before the elections, three people said that by 2020 the world will be vastly different. They also said it was very possible that bodaprez would not finish his second term, which is why I said a couple weeks ago I thought he might just blow the pop stand in WDC and leave Biden at the helm. He just doesn’t give a shit, so why stick around, right?
This schism between Iran and the Saudis is absolutely the last thing I expected.
BUT I am not surprised that the Saudis did it regardless of the reaction by the US.
Buckle your seat belts, boys and girls, and put your tables are in the upright and locked position. It’s gonna be a bumpy ride. (paraphrasing Bette Davis)
If you thought things were bad now let this escalate into a threat to Mecca and Medina. The Bat shit crazies would flow into that AO like zombies in the movie World War Z!
I’ll get the chocolate cheesecake. You bring the smoked sausages, Polish sausages, crispy fries and condiments and lots of cold beverages.
If they go up in smoke? Well, someone has to pump that oil, right?
I’m in it for the long haul.
Still haven’t seen anything about how the fire started in the Address Hotel in Dubai on New Year’s Eve. That building went up like an oil-soaked torch.
Ex, now I’m hungry! New Years day diet resolution… oh well I made it 4 days. If the good Lord made anything better than chocolate cheesecake he kept it for himself!
Well, there’s dark chocolate mousse, with a chocolate ganache top layer. And steak.
No fair Ex! It’s not fair to kick a man with Food Porn when he’s trying to shove down white rice and baked fish… lol
Tony, get Mrs. Dash, stop eating crappy tasteless food, and use beneficial fats like olive oil, sunflower or corn oil and butter. NO TRANSFATTY ACIDS.
Moderation in everything, including moderation. Try lemon pepper on the fish, and cook the rice in chicken broth with celery and dried onion chips.
You want something filling and good?
Boneless skinless chicken, (breasts or thighs, your choice) on a bed of rice mixed with rosemary, thyme and chicken broth. Cover loosely with foil, cook for 45 minutes at 375F, uncover and check for doneness. Should be cooked, but if not, another 30 minutes covered, then serve with steamed broccoli florets.
And for afters, sliced apples simmered in apple cider and a little lemon juice until warm and soft.
Cut out the starchy carbohydrates like bread and pasta. Make a frittata (baked eggs) and serve it with English muffins. Or fry an egg and serve it on toasted shredded wheat biscuits (large size).
NEVER STIFF YOURSELF ON FOOD. Just makes you unhappy.
Ex, I’m 6’4″, 238lbs I set a goal to see if I can lose 30lbs by 1 July. I’m trying to do this primarily thru diet as my work out routine remains constant year round. I will incorporate your suggestions as I’d rather eat cardboard soaked in good BBQ sauce than another round of fish and rice.
Here’s the calorie count per gram:
Carbohydrates: 4/gm
Protein: 4/gm
Fat: 9/gm
It’s not dietary fat that makes you fat. That just slows digestion. It’s starchy carbs like bread and peas, as opposed to watery carbs like celery and peaches.
Potatoes have multiple benefits. Look up the all-potato diet by Christ Voight in 2010. I would not recommend a mono-source diet like that, but he did it to emphasize the nutrients in potatoes. He also lost 20 pounds in 60 days. The problem is that it’s a single food source and it gets very tiresome.
Variety and flavor will keep you going and you won’t miss a thing.
There are all kinds of things you can do and you won’t feel hungry or deprived. Also, losing weight slowly will keep it off. Tea or coffee without sugar or sweetener instead of diet soda, because aspartame is junk.
In fact, if you reduce salt and get used to a lower level of table salt, you’ll be amazed at how sweet raw bell peppers are. Grapefruit without sugar has a zing to it. It’s stuff like that.
If you drop 3 pounds a month for one year, that’s 36 pounds total. Isn’t that enough?
Ex thanks for the info
In order to hammer Iran’s economy, the Saudi’s are selling oil for a nickel a barrel. {not quite a nickel but close} The US, ever helpful and with exquisite sensitivity to the region, is trying to give Iran $100 billion dollars. {sarcasm} Of course the Iranian economy will suffer greatly with the infusion of $100 billion that they did not have to sell and deliver oil to get. {more sarcasm} Needless to say, the Saudis are grateful for our assistance in this matter. {even more sarcasm} The Persians, ever mindful of the agreement that they did not sign, are accumulating that nasty old 90% plutonium so that they can run their reactors fo’ evah! {no sarcasm shortage yet} And, because they thought that maybe nobody was paying attention to them so those noble Persians fired off a party favor near a US aircraft carrier. {do I get extra chocolate cake for a really long string of sarcastic statements?} I bet the Saudis would pay you TODAY for a working nuclear weapon TODAY.
Those people have been trying to kill each other for 1,300 years but Mecca and Medina are still there and the House of Saud is still a going concern. Probability says it won’t be this year but then Mohammad didn’t have a nuke.
Mr. Obama thinks that since he is the President of the United States, he gets to make up new rules. He is petulant because the other kids didn’t like his game and they continued to play by the same old rules.
Richard I am of the opinion that the house of Saud may well have that weapon in their inventory. Pakistan and most of India is a 3rd world cesspool and they have nukes. OK we gave the Paki’s the magic pill and India developed theirs out of necessity to defend against the inevitable war with their northern aggressors. With all of Saudi Arabia’s wealth and out of work nuclear physicist from the former Soviet Union that would like to be paid in a different form of green cabbage why should one assume that they don’t have it.
Richard, I agree with you that they may have access to one now – probably through Pakistan. If they have been working on one, they have plenty of space in the Empty Quarter to build and test it (there are some MODA installations in that area that are not on maps – they are used for “border safety and security” reasons).
Oh, come on! They’ve been trying to kill each other of for a lot longer than 1300 years. More like 6,000 years, maybe even further back than that. Religion is just an excuse for more of it.
Umm, no. The original schism began shortly after the death of Mohammad, in 632, and who would be his successor would be.
http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2007/02/12/7332087/the-origins-of-the-shiite-sunni-split
Well, if you really dig deep into the history of the entire area, the Medes and the Persians scrapped with each other, and before that, the Babylonians and the Assyrians, and even earlier the Hittites in Anatolia (Turkey). The timeline back into history just goes on and on.
That’s why I said, the religious quarrel (sunni/shi’ite) is just an excuse to continue the quarreling.
This is what 8 years of feckless foreign policy has brought us. The saddest part is, as a nation, we asked for this level of fecklessness twice. The next President will spend four years, sleeves rolled up and working hard as hell, to solve the law professor’s “hands off” foreign affairs approach. The world needs a strong America that steps up and the events of the last 8 years proves that point so well. By our doing nothing, evil men are prevailing in a number of places.
Four years? Wow, talk about optimistic! Carter screwed the pooch with Iran four DECADES ago and we’re still dealing with the shit from that, and likely will be for a few decades more, at least.
Maybe 4 years is all the time the guy will have before it goes boom.
I’m going to post what that financial forecaster says about this when Friday comes.
Muslims gonna Muslim
Some other Sunni countries are now doing the same.
Personally, I believe this is part of a long coming, well thought out plan by the other Arab nations to break relations with Iran. This is just the first of a few reasons they will need. I’ve watched this build and expected it and it will give them the reasons and means to now, come down hard on Iran in even military ways or at least, get out of the way for the countries waiting in line to put Iran in its place. Unfortunately, as long as Obama is in office ours will not be one of those countries. But nothing, I mean nothing would make me happier than for the Arab nations to give the wink and a nod to Israel to do what they need to do.
Per what Richard says here: http://valorguardians.com/blog/?p=63662&cpage=1#comment-2770576
This article from 12/2015 IBTimes says essentially the same thing. The Saudis are using oil production to break Iran and bring it to its knees.
http://www.ibtimes.com/oil-prices-2016-saudi-arabia-iran-rivalry-fuels-grim-outlook-amid-slow-china-economy-2243060
I would not be in the slightest surprised if they approached Israel, Jordan and Egypt for cooperation as allies, if they felt the need to do so.