Everyone here is all atwitter. The Saudis are concerned, the expats are hoping for danger money.
This is something like the fourth attack.
Well that ain’t good.
Soo… gotta ask.
Any possibility Saudi Arabia is doing this to put blame on Iran and get Trump to sent it more military gear and nuclear tech?
Welcome to the new world of warfare! Who did what to whom and if so why? Is Country C trying to start war between A and B? Is B trying to start a war with A? Is B trying to start a war with B and make it look like A’s fault?
Great fun!
I figure it is the same as it every was. The brass hats are pushing us to the edge “to send a message.” Now all we need is an accident to light the match. It will be nobody’s fault at all.
Just for a reference…Gulf of Oman tankers attacked: Live updates
Life could get very interesting there…
(Why would you want to transport a tanker-full of methanol? Surely you can make methanol most anywhere. Shows you what I know.)
Taiwanese tanker just got sunk by torpedoes as well.
Is Iran less dependent on Persian Gulf shipping than Saudi Arabia?
Iran needs to keep the Gulf open, if it is in the oil business. If it is not in the oil business because of sanctions, it is less interested.
I see nothing about a third attack today.
The Front Altair is owned by Taiwan’s CPC Corp; the other tanker in the news today is the Kokuka Courageous, which flies a Panamanian flag but is apparently managed by a firm in Singapore. These are the only two ships in the news today AFAIK (yes, I googled just now).
Oh how nice, CNN is pushing conspiracy theories now.
The “Taiwanese tanker just got sunk by torpedoes” is probably a reference to the Front Altair. There have been some rumors she sank (and an initial report that the suspected cause of the damage was a torpedo).
What’s the CT? Were two tankers NOT attacked today?
The UN is calling for facts to be established. (ABC News)
It would be nice if John Bolton could show evidence of previous attacks (The Guardian) as he promised to do but has not yet done (The Guardian), before accusing Iran of this most recent attack.
I see Saudi Arabia as having far more to gain in this confrontation than Iran. Funny; we seem especially close to the House of Saud at the moment.
These attacks are a big deal as regards how they will be manipulated by the Trump “administration.” It is a(nother) frightening development.
With the recent American provocations, Iran would be suicidal to start torpedoing ships. Not saying that it isn’t possible, but :dubious:.
And where are the reports that one ship sank? I’ve heard 1 injury, no deaths, and all cargo still present.
Seems everyone is reporting this so I’m not seeing the CT either. 
The CT is that the tanker attacks today were a false flag operation. That idea is laced throughout the CNN piece (at the time that he provided the link, the top content was “Iran will get the blame, but the Gulf of Oman truth is likely a lot murkier” Analysis from CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh, which is now a bit farther down the page):
If this attack was from a surface ship, we’d see them with radar from the USS Bainbridge.
I’m hearing that witnesses say the strike was from some sort of shell. Not hearing about torpedoes.
Here is one such report:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/breaking-oman-incident-explosions-heard-16510326
I have no idea if it sank or not, but there are definitely some claims out there that it did.
That’s your idea of pushing a “false-flag operation”?
OK
There’s probably almost zero chance of this, but I hope any US response would wait until the facts are clear. They certainlly aren’t clear now. At this time I see no more reason to believe Iran is responsible than to believe that someone else is responsible, and we shouldn’t act as if this is the case until we know with certainty.