"
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BUCHAREST, Romania -- A Romanian oil rig off the coast of Iran came under fire from an Iranian military warship and was later occupied by Iranian troops, a company spokesman said.

The Iranians first fired into the air and then fired at the Orizont rig, said GSP spokesman Radu Petrescu. Half an hour later, troops from the ship boarded and occupied the rig and the company lost contact with the 26 crew members shortly afterward."


Seattle Post-Intelligence

There has been an ongoing legal dispute.  Apparently they are using force and seeing if anyone cares.

Here is a story from a few days ago:

Legal Conflict

The seizure itself is a few hours old.

So this is the 8/22 surprise?

Quoted: So this is the 8/22 surprise?

Zack, this is just breaking news. For all we know, this could be happening all over, or it could be just the first part of a large offensive. We don't know what those loonies are planning.


I doubt it, and I don't know why the Iranians are wanting to seize a fucking oil rig, I mean, it doesn't really make sense.

I wonder what they're up to...

Its not on TV yet, at least for me! intresting to see what happens today if anything happens

Quoted: Quoted: So this is the 8/22 surprise? Zack, this is just breaking news. For all we know, this could be happening all over, or it could be just the first part of a large offensive. We don't know what those loonies are planning. I doubt it, and I don't know why the Iranians are wanting to seize a fucking oil rig, I mean, it doesn't really make sense. I wonder what they're up to...

They're taunting us.

Quoted: Quoted: So this is the 8/22 surprise? Zack, this is just breaking news. For all we know, this could be happening all over, or it could be just the first part of a large offensive. We don't know what those loonies are planning. I doubt it, and I don't know why the Iranians are wanting to seize a fucking oil rig, I mean, it doesn't really make sense. I wonder what they're up to...

If I had to take a guess, they're using this to catch everyone's attention and draw it away from whatever they're up to. The whole watch the hands while the feet kick you thing.

I wish I was back in Bahrain at my last command. I had access to all the cool shit that was going on. Up to the minute intel was the best.

Now I have to watch cnn or ARFCOM

I think it's just the begining.

There must be war!!! God wills it!!!!

[sound of charging handle and bolt slamming into battery]

Quoted: Now I have to watch cnn or ARFCOM

Someone needs a smack down.



+Tag of dead

I want to let you guys know that I have found the Hidden Imam.

I'm trying to flush him down the toilet now...

Quoted: Quoted: Now I have to watch cnn or ARFCOM

There's a reason they call it the Classified News Network.

Quoted: I want to let you guys know that I have found the Hidden Imam. I'm trying to flush him down the toilet now...

Where is he... I don't see him.

heh!

I'm wondering if Cindy Sheehan and the rest of the "end the occupation" crowd will be out in force demanding an end to the Iranian occupation of the Romanian oil rig.

I mean, it's not like Romania attacked Iran, right? Occupation breeds hate, remember?

Quoted: So this is the 8/22 surprise?

I was hoping it would be cheap, reliable .223 to compensate the American public for high oil prices.

The irony of a flood of Iranian manufactured .223 coming into this nation to equip US troops efforts to slot Iranian running dogs in Iraq is blinding.

Quoted: Quoted: So this is the 8/22 surprise? Zack, this is just breaking news. For all we know, this could be happening all over, or it could be just the first part of a large offensive. We don't know what those loonies are planning. I doubt it, and I don't know why the Iranians are wanting to seize a fucking oil rig, I mean, it doesn't really make sense. I wonder what they're up to...

Perfect place to test a nuke.  If I owned such a small country, I wouldn't want to pop it off over my land.  Someone else's oil rig would be much more convenient.
Matt

Sounds like an outright act of war to me.

only if the Romanians got a stick to wave. otherwise its aggresive politicing...

Quoted: Sounds like an outright act of war to me.

Impossible. The Iranians are peace-loving people who have nothing against anyone.

Is Romania in NATO?

Never mind:  They are.
www.nato.int/structur/countries.htm

Once again ARFCOM has the breaking news.  I wonder what else is going to happen today...

Why is Arfcom the only one covering this??

Commie News Network has it it too

Quoted: Why is Arfcom the only one covering this??

I count 101 reports here…

news.google.co.uk/news?hl=en&ned=uk&ie=UTF-8&ncl=www.bloomberg.com/apps/news%3Fpid%3D20601087%26sid%3DapkTn0UdgHZ4%26refer%3Dhome

Quoted: I want to let you guys know that I have found the Hidden Imam. I'm trying to flush him down the toilet now...

Add a little bit or Koran.  Seems to help.

Quoted: Quoted: Why is Arfcom the only one covering this?? I count 101 reports here… news.google.co.uk/news?hl=en&ned=uk&ie=UTF-8&ncl=www.bloomberg.com/apps/news%3Fpid%3D20601087%26sid%3DapkTn0UdgHZ4%26refer%3Dhome

What I mean to say, is why isn't this headline newsworthy?  It's not even on The Drudge Report........let's see Fox News is covering a miniature drug sniffing dog  

Awww fuck...........this should be huge news but the Drive by media is still hung up on mundane shit.

Drudge is my homepage but sometimes they are very slow-maybe they keep the AP wire thingy out behind the garage.  

Quoted: Drudge is my homepage but sometimes they are very slow-maybe they keep the AP wire thingy out behind the garage.

sometimes I think Matt sleeps in.........

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Why is Arfcom the only one covering this?? I count 101 reports here… news.google.co.uk/news?hl=en&ned=uk&ie=UTF-8&ncl=www.bloomberg.com/apps/news%3Fpid%3D20601087%26sid%3DapkTn0UdgHZ4%26refer%3Dhome What I mean to say, is why isn't this headline newsworthy?  It's not even on The Drudge Report........let's see Fox News is covering a miniature drug sniffing dog

It's a 'non story' about a contract dispute with a rumanian oil rig on contract to Iran that has been moored in Iranian waters for ages…

ANdy

Your oil rigs are all belong to me!

... Come on let's be fair now, we haven't heard Iran's side of the story [/sarcasm]

So, Iran projects its power in littoral warfare.  That's the big news for 8/22?

Pair this with the news reports this weekend of Iran shelling Norther Iraq and massing troops at the border up there...

Something is definitely in the works.  If Amidinajad is testing W, he picked the wrong guy.  He should have waited for Hillary to take office, cause he's gonna get his pecker stepped on.

Iran shells Iraq

Quoted: Pair this with the news reports yesterday of Iran shelling Norther Iraq and massing troops at the border up there...

I must've missed this. You got a link? (ETA: You added the link while I was posting. Thanks.)

Let us also combine the move he stole from Saddam's playbook, the "let's not let UN inspectors into the places we agreed to", and has been using it a lot lately.

Things will get ugly over there. Sooner or later. I just hope we have someone in office who doesn't care what the world thinks about him, who will do what needs to be done, when it does happen.


Oh, and 4v50, "littoral" is a new word for me. I thought you were trying to say "literal", and that you didn't know what it meant or how to spell it. Thanks.

Quoted: Pair this with the news reports this weekend of Iran shelling Norther Iraq and massing troops at the border up there... Something is definitely in the works.  If Amidinajad is testing W, he picked the wrong guy.  He should have waited for Hillary to take office, cause he's gonna get his pecker stepped on. Iran shells Iraq

If/when we pull out,  Iran will just stroll across the border and take over in a heart beat.

Drudge has it now from Bloomberg;

HALLIBURTON ! Jeeze-Louise,  are the Iranians and the American left using the same playbook or what ?

story;
Iran's Navy Attacks and Boards Romanian Rig in Gulf (Update3)

By Andy Critchlow and Marc Wolfensberger

Aug. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Iran attacked and seized control of a Romanian oil rig working in its Persian Gulf waters this morning one week after the Iranian government accused the European drilling company of ``hijacking'' another rig.

An Iranian naval vessel fired on the rig owned by Romania's Grup Servicii Petroliere (GSP) in the Salman field and took control of its radio room at about 7:00 a.m. local time, Lulu Tabanesku, Grup's representative in the United Arab Emirates said in a phone interview from Dubai today.

``The Iranians fired at the rig's crane with machine guns,'' Tabanesku said. ``They are in control now and we can't contact the rig.'' The Romanian company has 26 workers on the platform, he said.

Iran, which holds the world's second-largest oil and gas reserves, is due to respond today to a European Union-led offer of incentives aimed at persuading it to halt uranium enrichment activities that are crucial to its nuclear program.

Neither the press office of Iran's oil ministry nor the one of Iran's revolutionary guards could be reached for comment when called. Today is a national holiday in Iran.

Crude oil for September was at $72.56 a barrel, up 11 cents, on the New York Mercantile Exchange at 12:06 p.m. in London. The contract expires today. The more-active October contract was up 7 cents at $73.37 a barrel.

Straits of Hormuz

Iran urged the United Arab Emirates last week to help it return another oil rig owned and operated by the Romanian company in the same waters close to the Straits of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world's daily oil supply moves on tankers.

Grup said it recovered its rig last week because of a contractual dispute with its Iranian client, Oriental Oil Kish.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad suspended Oriental Oil's activities in 2005 on alleged corruption activity and ties to Halliburton Co. of the U.S. The U.A.E.-registered drilling company had signed a preliminary contract with Halliburton after winning an estimated $310 million contract to develop phases 9 and 10 of Iran's offshore South Pars gas reservoir.

Mircea Geoana, the head of the Social Democratic Party, the main opposition party in Romania, called on the government to ``undertake all diplomatic measures necessary'' to persuade the Iranians to release the rig.

He also called on President Traian Basescu in a news conference broadcast on Realitatea television to invite all political party heads to the presidential palace to ``discuss what Romania's reaction will be to this provocation.''.

To contact the reporter on this story: Andy Critchlow in Dubai at at [email protected]

Last Updated: August 22, 2006 07:59 EDT

Quoted: Drudge has it now from Bloomberg; HALLIBURTON ! Jeeze-Louise,  are the Iranians and the American left using the same playbook or what ? story; Iran's Navy Attacks and Boards Romanian Rig in Gulf (Update3) By Andy Critchlow and Marc Wolfensberger Aug. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Iran attacked and seized control of a Romanian oil rig working in its Persian Gulf waters this morning one week after the Iranian government accused the European drilling company of ``hijacking'' another rig. An Iranian naval vessel fired on the rig owned by Romania's Grup Servicii Petroliere (GSP) in the Salman field and took control of its radio room at about 7:00 a.m. local time, Lulu Tabanesku, Grup's representative in the United Arab Emirates said in a phone interview from Dubai today. ``The Iranians fired at the rig's crane with machine guns,'' Tabanesku said. ``They are in control now and we can't contact the rig.'' The Romanian company has 26 workers on the platform, he said. Iran, which holds the world's second-largest oil and gas reserves, is due to respond today to a European Union-led offer of incentives aimed at persuading it to halt uranium enrichment activities that are crucial to its nuclear program. Neither the press office of Iran's oil ministry nor the one of Iran's revolutionary guards could be reached for comment when called. Today is a national holiday in Iran. Crude oil for September was at $72.56 a barrel, up 11 cents, on the New York Mercantile Exchange at 12:06 p.m. in London. The contract expires today. The more-active October contract was up 7 cents at $73.37 a barrel. Straits of Hormuz Iran urged the United Arab Emirates last week to help it return another oil rig owned and operated by the Romanian company in the same waters close to the Straits of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world's daily oil supply moves on tankers. Grup said it recovered its rig last week because of a contractual dispute with its Iranian client, Oriental Oil Kish. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad suspended Oriental Oil's activities in 2005 on alleged corruption activity and ties to Halliburton Co. of the U.S. The U.A.E.-registered drilling company had signed a preliminary contract with Halliburton after winning an estimated $310 million contract to develop phases 9 and 10 of Iran's offshore South Pars gas reservoir. Mircea Geoana, the head of the Social Democratic Party, the main opposition party in Romania, called on the government to ``undertake all diplomatic measures necessary'' to persuade the Iranians to release the rig. He also called on President Traian Basescu in a news conference broadcast on Realitatea television to invite all political party heads to the presidential palace to ``discuss what Romania's reaction will be to this provocation.''. To contact the reporter on this story: Andy Critchlow in Dubai at at [email protected] Last Updated: August 22, 2006 07:59 EDT

SWEET!! Maybe I'll put in for a transfer!!

Quoted: Pair this with the news reports this weekend of Iran shelling Norther Iraq and massing troops at the border up there... Something is definitely in the works.  If Amidinajad is testing W, he picked the wrong guy.  He should have waited for Hillary to take office, cause he's gonna get his pecker stepped on. Iran shells Iraq

I kinda hope it's true... it seems like we've been looking for a good reason to whoop Iran's ass, and what better reason could there be then an Iranian invasion of a nation that we're protecting? Let's have joint US-Iraqi operations against Iran!

Quoted: Sounds like an outright act of war to me.

It would only be an act of war if that oil rig was the property of the Romanian .gov.  As it stands it's the property of a company in Romania so no act of war for you.