Trump’s Maximum Pressure Backfires – 5% of the World’s Oil Production Sidelined
It looks as if Iran was responsible either directly or indirectly for the attack on Saudi oil production. This took out 5% of the world’s oil production and will probably next lead to gas shortages and price hikes around the world. We’ll see what happens soon.
Against the advice of our European allies and almost all experienced foreign policy and military hands, Trump unilaterally abrogated the Iran deal negotiated by President Obama, the EU, Russia and China. He has since been applying “maximum pressure” economically to Iran so that they cannot export their oil and rebuild their economy. This has greatly pleased both the Saudi leadership and Israel’s Netanyahu who each see Iran as their primary regional rival and potentially an existential threat. The Saudis have been bombing and blockading the Houthis (Iran’s allies) in Yemen and causing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis of widespread starvation there and countless civilian deaths.
In response to Trump, the Iranians have been restarting their nuclear program, and begun attacking oil tankers shipping through the Persian Gulf. Now either Iran or the Houthis or some combination of both has successfully attacked Saudi oil production facilities. The Houthis claim responsibility for the attack, but the Iranians provided the armed drones and were likely deeply involved.
It is more important than ever for the American people to remove Trump in November 2020, and in the meantime it is imperative for Senate Republicans to grow a spine and begin to restrain Trump who in his erratic and ill-informed hubris has ignited this global mess in one of the world’s most complex and flammable regional hot spots which also just happens to be critical to global growth and energy.
Prepared by: Lucien Wulsin
Dated: 9/17/19