Drumbeats of War - Japanese Oil Ship Attack - Update
The Japanese government has been planning to unveil their own set of sanctions against Iran in “early August”.
This is a delicate situation for Japan. Iran is one of Japan’s major suppliers of oil.
According to a ‘Japanese-Iranian diplomatic source’ quoted in major Japanese news media, “If Japan leans toward the United States, it could adversely affect its strategy in energy procurement. If Japan leans toward Iran, it could cause a chasm in ties between Tokyo and Washington.”
Another Japanese government official from an ‘office concerned with economic affairs’, told the press, “Iran is an important trading partner. We cannot take a tough stance like the United States.”
A third source, this time a ’senior Foreign Ministry Official’, said they would look at the new EU sanctions first. That is probably to help them figure out how limited the Japanese sanctions could be and still not anger the US.
So… the level of Japanese sanctions is being carefully considered and debated within the Japanese government. That level is very important to Iran.
Russian, Chinese and other nations are helping Iran skirt the US sanctions by selling gasoline to them. But Iran still has to sell oil in order to get funds to buy the gasoline. And Japan is a prime source of that income right now.
Does it start to make sense that the blunted attack near the Strait of Hormuz was directed at a Japanese oil ship?
For many people, that was the most mysterious part of the event. Why the Japanese?
If it was a warning, it was exactly the right level. Not much harm done. But it sent a perfectly clear message that the ship could have been sunk, if whoever attacked it wanted to sink it.
The US has gone out of its way to not accuse Iran of the incident. Iran vehemently denies the slightest involvement.
But I wonder.
And once again, August is the timeframe.
