Kamis, 11 Juli 2019
U.K. Navy Intervenes After Iran Tries to Stop British Oil Tanker - Bloomberg Politics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XTKcvLH2Fc
2019-07-11 14:57:58Z
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Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps boats tried, failed to seize British oil tanker in Persian Gulf, senior US defense official says - Fox News
Five Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps gunboats tried to seize a British oil tanker in the Persian Gulf Wednesday but backed off after a British warship approached, a senior U.S. defense official told Fox News.
The British warship was said to have been less than 5 miles behind the tanker but soon intercepted the Iranian boats and threatened to open fire. A manned U.S. reconnaissance aircraft was above as well, the official said, adding that Iranian forces left without opening fire.
Navy Captain Bill Urban, spokesman for the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), said the military was aware of the reported actions. He added, “Threats to international freedom of navigation require an international solution. The world economy depends on the free flow of commerce, and it is incumbent on all nations to protect and preserve this lynchpin of global prosperity.”
US-IRAN TENSIONS: A TIMELINE OF KEY EVENTS
The British frigate was identified as the HMS Montrose, according to The Sun. The vessel reportedly trained its 30mm deck guns on the enemy fleet and warned them off.
The incident was the latest in a series of provocations between the Islamic Republic and the West. British forces last week seized an Iranian supertanker that officials believed was operating in violation of European Union sanctions. The British Royal Marines captured the vessel in Gibraltar after believing it was trying to provide crude oil to Syria, an ally of Iran.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned that Britain would face repercussions over the seizure.
Last month, Iran shot down a U.S. drone over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway separating Iran from the United Arab Emirates. Oil exporters transport around 22 million barrels of oil per day through the strait.
U.S. officials also blamed Iran for attacks on six oil tankers in the area. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has accused the regime of trying to disrupt the flow of oil in the area.
The British frigate was identified as the HMS Montrose. The vessel reportedly trained its 30mm deck guns on the enemy fleet and warned them off. <br data-cke-eol="1"> (UK Ministry of Defence via AP)
Tensions between Iran and the U.S. have escalated in recent weeks and could spiral downward after Iran admitted Monday it surpassed uranium enrichment levels that were set by the Iran nuclear agreement in 2015.
President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal last year but several EU nations remained involved. Those countries -- Russia, China, Germany, France, Britain, and the European Union -- have called on Iran to stick to its commitments under the deal.
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Iran has abandoned restraint in recent months as it seeks relief from U.S. sanctions. The republic has asked the deal's signatories to provide economic incentives in exchange for the de-escalation of its nuclear program.
Trump has indicated he will impose additional sanctions on Iran and urged those nations not to give in to its demands.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/iranian-islamic-revolutionary-guard-corps-boats-tried-failed-to-seize-british-oil-tanker-in-persian-gulf-senior-us-defense-official-says
2019-07-11 13:49:58Z
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'Tomb of the angel' search for missing teen in Vatican hits dead end - AOL
ROME — Forensic experts searching two 19th century tombs in the heart of the Vatican in hopes of solving the mystery of a teenage girl who vanished more than 30 years ago came up empty handed Thursday.
"They found nothing, not even the remains of those who were meant to officially be buried there," said the missing girl's brother, Pietro Orlandi. "I am relieved by it. They dug under one of the tombs and found a room underneath completely empty. In the other one they found a sarcophagus, also empty"
Emanuela Orlandi, the daughter of a Vatican bank employee, was 15 when she disappeared after leaving a music lesson in Rome in 1983. The teenager's family believe her body could be buried in a tomb in a tiny cemetery inside the Vatican, after they received an anonymous tip last year.
RELATED: Parts of the Vatican off-limits to tourists
"'If you want to find Emanuela, search where the angel looks," a tipster wrote in an unsigned letter posted alongside a picture of a statue of an angel in the Teutonic Cemetery, the family's lawyer, Laura Sgrò, told NBC News.
Shortly before 8.15 (2.15 a.m. ET) on Thursday morning, the rector of the Teutonic College recited a prayer in front of the "tomb of the angel" and an adjoining tomb, Alessandro Gisotti, the director of the Vatican press office said in a statement. A 15-person team then began excavating the tombs of Princess Sophie von Hohenlohe and Princess Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg, who died in 1836 and 1840, respectively.
The Orlandi family had asked for the tomb under the statue of an angel holding a "rest in peace sign" to be opened, but the Vatican decided a second nearby tomb should also be excavated to "avoid misunderstandings," Gisotti said. He said he could not predict how long the operation would take.
This is not the first time a tomb has been opened in the mysterious case that has gripped Italy for more than three decades.
In 2005, an anonymous tipster claimed Orlandi's body was buried in the tomb of Enrico de Pedis, a criminal gangster who operated in Rome in the 1970s and 1980s, according to Giancarlo Capaldo, a state prosecutor who worked on the case between 2012 and 2016. In 2012 his tomb was finally opened, but Orlandi's remains were not found.
Pietro Orlandi earlier told reporters that after years of the Vatican not cooperating it appeared the Holy See was beginning to accept the idea that it may hold some responsibility for what happened. If his sister's remains were found, Orlandi said he would expect the Vatican to open up an investigation into the murder and the concealment of the corpse.
"Now it's not just us as a family, it seems also the Vatican wants to find out the truth about what happened," he said.
Claudio Lavanga reported from Rome; Saphora Smith from London.
https://www.aol.com/article/news/2019/07/11/angel-search-for-missing-teen-in-vatican-hits-dead-end/23768005/
2019-07-11 11:23:32Z
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The body of US scientist Suzanne Eaton was found in a former Nazi bunker in Greece - CNN International
The 59-year-old biologist went missing on July 2. Her body was discovered by two locals on Monday in a cave that had been turned into a bunker by Nazi soldiers during the Second World War, according to Crete's Chief of Police Konstantinos Lagoudakis.
Eaton's body was found around 60 meters inside the cave beneath an air shaft which had been covered by a large wooden pallet, Lagoudakis added.
Eaton was attending a conference at the Orthodox Academy in Crete and is believed to have disappeared during a run.
The police said on Wednesday that Eaton was asphyxiated. Minor stab wounds were also found on her body, but police said they were not believed to be the cause of her death. The police believe the body was dumped inside the cave, because it was found face down.
Lagoudakis told CNN on Thursday that he had never seen a case like this in his four years as police chief.
Her family initially believed Eaton, a regular runner, likely died during a run as a result of heat exhaustion or a fall in the rough terrain.
"Due to the rough terrain and extreme heat, we believe the most likely possibility is that Suzanne may have either become overheated and looked for shade or that she may have fallen," said a post on a Facebook page set up by her family.
The horrific details surrounding Eaton's death have shocked the locals, some of whom thought she died in a hiking accident. Crete is known to be among the safest of the Greek islands despite its size and the large number of tourists.
"We are deeply shocked and disturbed by this tragic event," the Planck Institute at Dresden University in Germany, Eaton's employer, said in a statement. "Suzanne was an outstanding and inspiring scientist, a loving spouse and mother, an athlete as well as a truly wonderful person beloved to us all."
Eaton was the wife of British scientist Tony Hyman and mother of two sons, according to institute.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/11/europe/american-scientist-suzanne-eaton-greece-intl/index.html
2019-07-11 10:31:00Z
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Search for remains of Emanuela Orlandi, teen missing since 1983, hits dead end - NBC News
ROME — Forensic experts searching two 19th century tombs in the heart of the Vatican in hopes of solving the mystery of a teenage girl who vanished more than 30 years ago came up empty handed Thursday.
"They found nothing, not even the remains of those who were meant to officially be buried there," said the missing girl's brother, Pietro Orlandi. "I am relieved by it. They dug under one of the tombs and found a room underneath completely empty. In the other one they found a sarcophagus, also empty”
Emanuela Orlandi, the daughter of a Vatican bank employee, was 15 when she disappeared after leaving a music lesson in Rome in 1983. The teenager’s family believe her body could be buried in a tomb in a tiny cemetery inside the Vatican, after they received an anonymous tip last year.
“'If you want to find Emanuela, search where the angel looks," a tipster wrote in an unsigned letter posted alongside a picture of a statue of an angel in the Teutonic Cemetery, the family’s lawyer, Laura Sgrò, told NBC News.
Shortly before 8.15 (2.15 a.m. ET) on Thursday morning, the rector of the Teutonic College recited a prayer in front of the "tomb of the angel" and an adjoining tomb, Alessandro Gisotti, the director of the Vatican press office said in a statement. A 15-person team then began excavating the tombs of Princess Sophie von Hohenlohe and Princess Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg, who died in 1836 and 1840, respectively.
The Orlandi family had asked for the tomb under the statue of an angel holding a “rest in peace sign” to be opened, but the Vatican decided a second nearby tomb should also be excavated to “avoid misunderstandings,” Gisotti said.
This is not the first time a tomb has been opened in the mysterious case that has gripped Italy for more than three decades.
In 2005, an anonymous tipster claimed Orlandi's body was buried in the tomb of Enrico de Pedis, a criminal gangster who operated in Rome in the 1970s and 1980s, according to Giancarlo Capaldo, a state prosecutor who worked on the case between 2012 and 2016. In 2012 his tomb was finally opened, but Orlandi's remains were not found.
Pietro Orlandi earlier told reporters that after years of the Vatican not cooperating it appeared the Holy See was beginning to accept the idea that it may hold some responsibility for what happened. If his sister’s remains were found, Orlandi said he would expect the Vatican to open up an investigation into the murder and the concealment of the corpse.
“Now it’s not just us as a family, it seems also the Vatican wants to find out the truth about what happened,” he said.
Claudio Lavanga reported from Rome; Saphora Smith from London.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/search-remains-emanuela-orlandi-teen-missing-1983-hits-dead-end-n1028651
2019-07-11 10:27:00Z
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Iranian boats 'tried to intercept British tanker' - BBC News
Iranian boats tried to impede a British oil tanker near the Gulf - before being driven off by a Royal Navy ship, the Ministry of Defence has said.
HMS Montrose, a British frigate shadowing the tanker British Heritage, was forced to move between the three boats and the tanker, a spokesman said.
He described the Iranians' actions as "contrary to international law".
Iran had threatened to retaliate for the seizure of one of its own tankers, but denied any attempted seizure.
Boats believed to belong to Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) approached British Heritage and tried to bring it to a halt as it was moving out of the Gulf into the Strait of Hormuz.
Guns on HMS Montrose were trained on the Iranian boats as they were ordered to back off, US media reported. The boats heeded the warning and no shots were fired.
The BBC has been told British Heritage - which is registered at the port of Douglas, in the Isle of Man - was near the island of Abu Musa when it was approached by the Iranian boats.
HMS Montrose had been shadowing British Heritage from a distance but came to its aid once the Iranian boats began harassing the tanker, BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale said.
Although Abu Musa is in disputed territorial waters, HMS Montrose remained in international waters throughout.
A UK government spokesman said: "Contrary to international law, three Iranian vessels attempted to impede the passage of a commercial vessel, British Heritage, through the Strait of Hormuz.
"We are concerned by this action and continue to urge the Iranian authorities to de-escalate the situation in the region."
What does Iran say?
Quoting the public relations office of the IRGC's Navy, the Fars news agency said, in a tweet, the IRGC "denies claims by American sources" that it tried to seize British Heritage.
"There has been no confrontation in the last 24 hours with any foreign vessels, including British ones," the IRGC added, according to the AFP news agency.
Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the UK made the claims "for creating tension".
"These claims have no value," Mr Zarif added, according to Fars.
Why are UK-Iran tensions escalating?
The relationship between the UK and Iran has become increasingly strained, after Britain said the Iranian regime was "almost certainly" responsible for the attacks on two oil tankers in June.
Last week, British Royal Marines helped the authorities in Gibraltar seize an oil tanker because of evidence it was carrying Iranian crude oil to Syria in breach of EU sanctions.
In response, an Iranian official said a British oil tanker should be seized if the detained ship was not released.
Iran also summoned the British ambassador in Tehran to complain about what it said was a "form of piracy".
On Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani mocked the UK, calling it "scared" and "hopeless" for using Royal Navy warships to shadow another British tanker in the Gulf.
HMS Montrose had shadowed British tanker the Pacific Voyager for some of the way through the Strait of Hormuz, but that journey had passed without incident.
"You, Britain, are the initiator of insecurity and you will realise the consequences later," Mr Rouhani said.
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The Royal Navy has a frigate, four minehunters and a Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ship already stationed in a permanent Naval Support Facility in the region, at Mina Salman in Bahrain.
This is enough to provide reassurance, but probably not to deal with a crisis, the BBC's Jonathan Beale said.
"HMS Montrose will not be able to provide protection for every commercial vessel in the Gulf with links to the UK," he added.
"Ministers will now have to contemplate sending another Royal Navy warship to the region. But in doing so, that may only further escalate tensions with Iran, which is something the government wants to avoid."
The UK has also been pressing Iran to release British-Iranian mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe who was jailed for five years in 2016 after being convicted for spying, which she denies.
Could things get worse?
Iran appears to have been attempting to make good on its threat against British-flagged vessels in the wake of the seizure of an Iranian tanker off Gibraltar.
But though this incident has a specifically bilateral dimension, it is also a powerful reminder that the tensions in the Gulf have not gone away.
And with every sign that the dispute over the nuclear agreement with Iran is set to continue, things may only get worse.
The episode may add some impetus to US-brokered efforts to muster an international naval force in the Gulf to protect international shipping.
But most worrying of all, it shows that elements within the Iranian system - the Revolutionary Guard Corps's naval arm, or whatever - are intent on stoking the pressure.
This inevitably plays into President Trump's hands as Britain and its key European partners struggle to keep the nuclear agreement alive.
What about US-Iran relations?
The US has blamed Iran for attacks on six oil tankers in May and June.
The chairman of the US military's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, on Wednesday, it wants to create a multi-national military coalition to safeguard waters around Iran and Yemen.
The news followed the Trump administration's decision to pull out of an international agreement on Tehran's nuclear programme and reinforce punishing sanctions against Iran.
European allies to the US, including the UK, have not followed suit.
Iran's ambassador to the UN has insisted Europeans must do more to compensate Tehran for economic losses inflicted by US sanctions.
Tehran has begun to nudge the levels of its enriched uranium beyond the limits of a nuclear deal agreed with a group of world powers, in small and calculated steps.
Majid Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC, Iran would move to the "third phase" of its stepped-up uranium enrichment programme unless the Europeans kept promises to uphold the economic benefits of the accord.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48946051
2019-07-11 09:05:43Z
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Trump moves into damage control mode (just like every other politician) - Fox News
When the British ambassador to Washington was caught disparaging President Trump in cables back to London, everyone knew what happened next would be rather undiplomatic.
The president Twitter-taunted “wacky” Kim Darroch, and said he’d refuse to deal with him, even though his job was to give candid advice, and he never intended the harsh assessments of Trump to become public. Sir Kim quickly resigned, saying it had become impossible for him to do his job.
But there was this telling line from the president: “I don’t know the Ambassador but have been told he is a pompous fool.”
Well, Trump did know Theresa May’s envoy, and had dealt with him in a number of meetings. It’s rather obvious that he was distancing himself from someone who was now trashing him.
The distancing thing is one arrow in the damage-control backpack, one that nearly every politician uses at one time or another. When a campaign donor turns out to be a crook. When a top aide writes a derogatory book. Or, as in the case of Jeffrey Epstein, when an old friend turns out to be a pedophile.
The distancers have been breaking speed records with Epstein, who has been charged with sex trafficking after a sweetheart deal approved by Labor Secretary Alex Acosta back in 2008 all but let him off the hook for having sex with young girls.
Trump told reporters he had a “falling out” with Epstein and hasn’t spoken to him in 15 years. (The New York Times reported that a business associate was to bring 28 young women to Mar-a-Lago for a “calendar girl” competition, and was surprised that the only attendees were to be Trump and Epstein.)
Bill Clinton rushed out a statement that he had flown on Epstein’s private jet only four times, and visited him only on a couple of other occasions.
In the Beltway culture, distancing is a fine and much-practiced art.
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The Washington Post says the Trump maneuver has become something of an insider joke among his advisers. With the Darroch dustup, “the rejoinder fit a familiar pattern for Trump, who is quick to minimize ties with people who criticize him or who find themselves facing an onslaught of negative attention that reflects poorly on the president.
“Among those who have gotten the ‘I barely know the guy’ treatment: Former acting attorney general Matthew G. Whitaker, conservative commentator Ann Coulter, former lawyer Michael Cohen, fired FBI director James B. Comey, former senior White House aide Stephen K. Bannon, former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, former State Department official Brett McGurk, longtime adviser Roger Stone, former White House aide Cliff Sims, former campaign aide George Papadopoulos and even the rapper Lil Jon, who starred on Trump’s reality TV show ‘Celebrity Apprentice.’”
That’s fair game. When Steve Bannon, who was Trump’s campaign chairman in the final stretch and White House senior adviser, left the fold, his ex-boss said: “Steve was rarely in a one-on-one meeting with me and only pretends to have had influence to fool a few people with no access and no clue, whom he helped write phony books.”
So the maneuver is executed not just with people who get mired in scandal but with those who suddenly turn on Trump. Remember Omarosa?
There are endless variations on the distancing act when an aide or confidant must be cut loose. I had no idea. Deeply disappointed. Just one of many advisers. If I had known I would have taken immediate action. I am demanding a full investigation.
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As a businessman accustomed to cutting his losses, Donald Trump may be more aggressive than most in curtailing political damage by minimizing past relationships. But he hardly invented the practice.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-moves-into-damage-control-mode-just-like-every-other-politician
2019-07-11 08:07:22Z
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