And While Ukraine Burns...

[1972Shocker]

In Vienna, the Biden Administration Is Giving Away the Store to Iran, and Russia Is Helping

https://redstate.com/jimthompson/2022/03/03/in-vienna-the-biden-administration-is-giving-away-the-store-to-iran-and-russia-is-helping-n531052

Gabriel Noronha
@GLNoronha

1. NEW: My former career @StateDept, NSC, and EU colleagues are so concerned with the concessions being made by
@RobMalley in Vienna that they’ve allowed me to publish some details of the coming deal in the hopes that Congress will act to stop the capitulation.

[Long thread]

7:48 AM · Mar 2, 2022

The entire thread can be found here

One diplomat told Noronha “What’s happening in Vienna is a total disaster.” Negotiations are “essentially run” by Ulyanov. Noronha sees this as a looming security threat and a slow-moving disaster in the making.

Among the concerns raised by the diplomats are:

1. Lifting of sanctions imposed on the “Supreme Leader” of Iran and almost all of the remaining 112 individuals on the list. In essence, lifting sanctions against known terrorists. That could happen as soon as this coming Monday. Terrorists on the list include Mohsen Rezaei — he was involved in a 1994 bombing that killed 85 people in Argentina — and Iranian Revolutionary Guard Gen. Hossein Dehghan, who was leading IRGC forces in Lebanon and Syria when Iranian-linked Hezbollah killed US Marines in Beirut.
2. Lifting sanctions against Bonyad Mostazafan. That organization was responsible for confiscating property of Jews. If that sounds like Germany 1937, you’d be right.

While Ukraine burns, President Biden’s envoys fiddle. Chief among them is a man named Robert Malley. Malley is either naive or is willingly being manipulated in Vienna. The “conflict negotiator” is rolling over to Iran’s demands. The Biden Administration is giving Iran what it wants: a path to a nuke and the lifting of sanctions – and few people are noticing.

[SB Shock]

I read a story that said that the Biden administration was depending on Russia to deliver the Iran deal...

I feel like I am living in bizarro world

[1972Shocker]

This Looks Like the 'Russia Collusion' That Should Have Been Looked Into

https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2022/03/03/this-looks-like-the-russia-collusion-that-should-have-been-looked-into-n531107

Michael Shellenberger
@ShellenbergerMD

People think Europe depends on Russia for energy because it lacks its own, but 15 years ago Europe exported more natural gas than Russia does today. Now, Russia exports 3x more gas than Europe produces. Why? Because climate activists, partly funded by Russia, blocked fracking.

In Europe, it was a simple thought — the more reliant that Europe was made on Russian oil, the less likely it was that it would act with effectiveness against Russia. We saw that with how Germany had to be dragged to finally agreeing to SWIFT sanctions, but even then it only applies to seven banks , according to the Ukrainian member of Parliament Oleksandra Ustinova. As the Biden Administration has said, they’re not trying to affect Russian energy. The excuse? That they don’t want to affect others who are dependent on Russian oil. In other words, Russian efforts to make Europeans dependent were successful.

But under Biden, we have also become more dependent, now importing 595,000 barrels of oil a day from Russia. Unless we want to have a continual national security problem, we have to divest as much as possible and rebuild our independence. But the Biden response is to blow off this concern.

BTW, at $100/Bbl we are sending Russia $65 million dollars a day for those oil purchases or $24 billion dollars a year.

[ShockerPrez]

Wouldn't surprise me a bit to hear China and Russia push and fund climate propaganda. We are willingly costing ourselves huge amounts of $$$, squandering our resource advantages and retarding our growth as a nation in pusuit of a ghost.

[1972Shocker]

Another Foreign Policy Catastrophe in the Works? Iran Deal Reportedly Close

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/rebeccadowns/2022/03/05/iran-deal-n2604177

[1972Shocker]

And now Venezuela enters the picture?

Joe Biden Spits on US Allies to Secure a Deal That Makes No Sense

https://redstate.com/bonchie/2022/03...-sense-n532374

While the Biden administration has done its best to hide the ongoing negotiations, you’ve probably been made aware by now that a new JCPOA nuclear deal with Iran is in the works.

Guess who’s at the forefront of helping secure that deal? That would be none other than Vladimir Putin, who the United States is ostensibly at economic war with over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. About now, you are probably asking how that makes any sense at all. But stick around, because I promise you that it gets even worse.

According to Kenneth Vogul, the Biden administration is now looking to normalize relations with the communist Maduro regime in Venezuela.

Ostensibly, this action is being taken to help separate Venezuela from Russia. But anyone who is able to critically think and possesses a modicum of knowledge regarding international relations will quickly realize how dumb that contention is. Venezuela and Russia are allies, to the point where the latter held nuclear exercises there back in 2018. Russia has also been a supplier of commodities and materials to Venezuela as the South American nation has suffered under Western sanctions.

Now, does anyone think a quick visit from the Biden administration is going to “drive a wedge” between Venezuela and Russia given the relationship that exists between the two nations? In short, the Times’ spin on the matter, no doubt meant to protect the White House, doesn’t add up.

There is something that does add up though, and it connects to the Iran deal.

Victoria Coates
@VictoriaCoates

SCOOP: This attempt at appeasement is not going to drive a wedge between Venezuela and Russia. A legitimized Venezuela is in the strategic interests of Russia and Iran, which is why the visit is happening. More grease on the skids of the Frankenstein JCPOA.

That makes much more sense. Russia has reportedly been making demands as part of its role in negotiating the new Iran deal. Putin having one of its chief allies legitimized on the world stage, setting up the framework to have sanctions removed while expanding Russia’s sphere of influence, sounds like a pretty good win for the Russian leader, doesn’t it?

Again, nothing about this makes sense, and when nothing makes sense, it’s probably time to start asking tougher questions about what lies beneath the surface. Why have the last two Democrat-led presidencies been so obsessed with making a deal with Iran? Who is gaining what here? Are there payoffs involved? Why is Russia even a part of the negotiations given its behavior in Ukraine?

It seems the Biden administration is willing to do just about anything to hand the Iranian Mullahs another big win. That shouldn’t just be extremely concerning, it should be a scandal.

---

So where is congress and what are they doing, especially the Republicans, while all this is going on. Do they not have a say in this? Perhaps they could try to withhold any funding in support of this but the majority party will no doubt go along with the Biden administration.

However, I think there is another reason the Biden adminstration is seemingly working with Venezuela. Venezuela has a lot of oil. Perhaps Biden is looking to allow imports of Venezuelan oil to mitigate and offset the destructionn of U.S. based oil production. How that would work out in the long run is hard to say but not sure that is much different than importing oil from Russia.

Here is an article on that:

Biden looks to Venezuela for a bailout

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2022/03/biden_looks_to_venezuela_for_a_bailout.html

[N Crestway]

I read a story that said that the Biden administration was depending on Russia to deliver the Iran deal...

I feel like I am living in bizarro world

I think that the negotiations have been put on hold...just a little blip I saw DW news tonight. Unfortunately I have no explanation why.

[pinstripers]

I think that the negotiations have been put on hold...just a little blip I saw DW news tonight. Unfortunately I have no explanation why.

it's a disagreement over Biden's cut

[1972Shocker]

I think that the negotiations have been put on hold...just a little blip I saw DW news tonight. Unfortunately I have no explanation why.

Iran Deal Falls Apart

https://redstate.com/bonchie/2022/03/11/joe-bidens-failure-tour-continues-after-iran-deal-falls-apart-and-leaves-americans-holding-the-bag-n534591

Russia wants all of its business with Iran to be exempt from any US-EU sanctions going forward. Apparently, the administration was naive enough to believe they could make a deal brokered by Vladimir Putin without having to give up the farm in the process.

The administration gave away so much to try to re-enter the Iran deal. That includes isolating Saudi Arabia and the UAE, who we now are begging to pump more oil. Biden went so far as to delist the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen as a terrorist group, a move that has only led to more bloodshed. Further, because the administration blew up relations with the Arab nations to appease Iran, they are now legitimizing the Maduro regime in Venezuela in another attempt to secure more oil.

In short, Biden’s failure isn’t that he didn’t secure an Iran deal (though not for lack of trying), an objectively good thing. His failure is that he gave up so much attempting to secure that stupid, pointless deal. Now, Americans don’t even get the side-benefit of cheaper oil via sanctions being lifted on Iran, and it’s unlikely the Saudis will warm up to Biden anytime soon given they won’t even take his calls at this point.

[WuDrWu]

Iran Deal Falls Apart

https://redstate.com/bonchie/2022/03/11/joe-bidens-failure-tour-continues-after-iran-deal-falls-apart-and-leaves-americans-holding-the-bag-n534591

Russia wants all of its business with Iran to be exempt from any US-EU sanctions going forward. Apparently, the administration was naive enough to believe they could make a deal brokered by Vladimir Putin without having to give up the farm in the process.

The administration gave away so much to try to re-enter the Iran deal. That includes isolating Saudi Arabia and the UAE, who we now are begging to pump more oil. Biden went so far as to delist the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen as a terrorist group, a move that has only led to more bloodshed. Further, because the administration blew up relations with the Arab nations to appease Iran, they are now legitimizing the Maduro regime in Venezuela in another attempt to secure more oil.

In short, Biden’s failure isn’t that he didn’t secure an Iran deal (though not for lack of trying), an objectively good thing. His failure is that he gave up so much attempting to secure that stupid, pointless deal. Now, Americans don’t even get the side-benefit of cheaper oil via sanctions being lifted on Iran, and it’s unlikely the Saudis will warm up to Biden anytime soon given they won’t even take his calls at this point.

I thought the adults were back in charge, and that the US was leading the world, respected by all?

No?

[N Crestway]

Iran Deal Falls Apart

https://redstate.com/bonchie/2022/03/11/joe-bidens-failure-tour-continues-after-iran-deal-falls-apart-and-leaves-americans-holding-the-bag-n534591

Russia wants all of its business with Iran to be exempt from any US-EU sanctions going forward. Apparently, the administration was naive enough to believe they could make a deal brokered by Vladimir Putin without having to give up the farm in the process.

The administration gave away so much to try to re-enter the Iran deal. That includes isolating Saudi Arabia and the UAE, who we now are begging to pump more oil. Biden went so far as to delist the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen as a terrorist group, a move that has only led to more bloodshed. Further, because the administration blew up relations with the Arab nations to appease Iran, they are now legitimizing the Maduro regime in Venezuela in another attempt to secure more oil.

In short, Biden’s failure isn’t that he didn’t secure an Iran deal (though not for lack of trying), an objectively good thing. His failure is that he gave up so much attempting to secure that stupid, pointless deal. Now, Americans don’t even get the side-benefit of cheaper oil via sanctions being lifted on Iran, and it’s unlikely the Saudis will warm up to Biden anytime soon given they won’t even take his calls at this point.

Can Biden make up with the US oil industry and Canada? He could accomplish that without a Russian intermediary..

[Shockm]

Can Biden make up with the US oil industry and Canada? He could accomplish that without a Russian intermediary..

I will say that when it comes to dealing with the Middle East/Israel/Iran, and even China, etc. Trump was able to play Chess, while Biden and the Democrats only play Checkers. To be successful in that region, one has to see many moves ahead, and stay away for making all foreign policies with the Green New Deal as the main motivation.

While I think that Trump was headed ultimately in the right direction in reference to Afghanistan, he was doing it more quickly, that he should have (so I disagreed with that), but his foreign policy/trade moves with regards to those regions, and also India, Japan, Australia, Indo-China/Viet Nam, etc. to place barriers on China, were "spot on". And I think that while Europe didn't like him, his moves with regards to NATO helped Biden in Ukraine, although Biden has tried to mess it up anyway.

[WstateU]

How many times should we let Putin ‘poke the bear’?

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

How many times should we let Putin ‘poke the bear’?

Joe doesn't want to make him mad.

[WstateU]

Russia issues sanctions against Biden and a long list of US officials and political figures (msn.com)