GREEK AND IRANIAN “PIRACY”

IRANIAN AND GREEK PIRACY 

MAY 28, 2022

Today we learn that Iran, in an act of retribution,  boarded two Greek tankers in the Persian Gulf, confiscated the vessels, their cargo of oil  and imprisoned the crews.  The Athens government screamed “foul” calling the act “piracy”!  True.  It was piracy.  But even in the maritime world, “turnaround is fair play”.  

Only a few days ago, the very same Greek government, under direct orders from the Biden Administration confiscated an Iranian tanker in Greek territorial waters allegedly carrying a cargo of Russian oil.  The Iranian vessel was detained by the Greeks and its cargo off loaded. The oil was later transferred to an American carrier and shipped to the states to help alleviate the Biden-initiated oil shortage and surging petrol prices in that nation. This sounds very much like old time piracy. Stop a ship at sea, and steal its cargo! 

The Biden Administration inveigled the Greeks into an act of piracy and they meekly obeyed.  Today the Athens government, as well as  Greek ship owners are very unhappy with the Iranian response and their considerable loss of two ships and their valuable cargo.  A wiser, more courageous Greek government should have realized that there would be “consequences” from Iran.  But they, like many of the other 26 members of the EU are too weak economically and militarily for their own good.  They chose to cower under the American military umbrella, and as a result they are not free to formulate their own foreign policy. Thus they  tend to follow rather than lead.  

 

This is only the most recent  example of the self-inflicted economic harm that is one consequence for those who would  follow the USA in its anti-Russian policy as that nation stumbles toward its own economic disaster and WWIII in its pursuit of an unwise Russian policy.  

The EU is presently facing petrol, heating oil, natural gas, and food shortages in part generated by the Covid Pandemic, but intensified and  exacerbated by their ill conceived response to the Ukraine war.  The 27 can expect, fuel shortages, spiraling inflation and a drastic cut to GDP.  All this as a result of intemperate and self-harming “sanctions” response instigated by the Biden Administration and followed lemming like by the EU members.  

And the Greeks have lost two ships and their cargo. They can expect more ships detained and cargos lost, if they continue to senselessly follow intemperate imperatives from the USA.  They are now the big losers having lost  both the Russian oil as well as two tankers and their precious oil. 

While the USA under Joe Biden is now in the embarrassing position of encouraging piracy on the high seas!