Hahahaha, secret trading between Iran and Israeli businessmen

[Cain]

Well, I certainly am shocked, as nothing like this has ever happened before:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theenvoy/20110602/ts_yblog_theenvoy/israeli-iran-sanctions-busting-case-sparks-intrigue-investigations

The State Department accused Israel's Ofer Brothers Group last week of using a Singapore-based subsidiary, Tanker Pacific, to sell an $8.6 million tanker to Iran's main shipping line last year, the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines. One of the company's executives, Sami Ofer, was ranked as Israel's wealthiest businessman by Forbes magazine in 2008.

Subsequent reports by Israeli media and maritime newspapers suggest ships run by Ofer-controlled firms and subsidiaries have been secretly docking at Iranian ports for years--well beyond the September 2010 tanker sale cited in the new State Department sanctions designation.

"At least 13 Tanker Pacific ships, owned by the Israeli Ofer Brothers Group, have docked in Iran over the past decade, according to information released by Equasis, a major shipping information database," SeaNews Turkey reported this week. "The ships docked in the Iranian port city Bandar Abbas"--on Iran's southern coast--"and Kharg Island," a major Iran oil export port.

Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reports today that the Ofer Brothers Group ordered its ships last year to halt docking at Iranian ports. A close reading of the order, the paper's intelligence columnist Yossi Melman points out, indicates that the company was apparently already aware that its ships were docking in Iran.

"This is the first indication of such instructions from the Ofer family, serving as an indirect implication that ships in their possession have in fact docked in Iranian ports before," Melman writes.

"This thing stinks," is how Patrick Clawson, director of research at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, summed up the brewing scandal for The Envoy.

Clawson noted the company involved is deeply politically connected in Israel; Israel's current national security adviser, Yaakov Amidror, was, for instance, until two months ago on the board of several Ofer-owned companies. Maritime expert sources have suggested to him that Ofer-owned subsidiary ships have used deliberate (and risky) measures to evade detection while sneaking into Iranian ports -- deactivating global positioning systems, turning out beacon lights, etc.

Iran and Israel need each other, to put it simply.  If the other ceased to exist, for any reason, the remaining one would fall apart without an external enemy to sustain them.  And as always, barriers and sanctions erected by governments are nothing more than ways for the politically connected and cunning to make massive, illegal profits.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Surprise! 

[Cain]

A student of Francis Fukuyama, whose name currently escapes me, wrote a very good book about how contrived most of the "conflict" between Israel, Iran and the USA is.  For approximately 99% of the last 30 years, they've shared major enemies, and while they have attempted to one up each other in relative power terms, they tend to cooperate much more than they fight.  As Saddam Hussein, the Taliban and al-Qaeda have found out.

[Cain]

Ooops

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13638780

Sami Ofer, an Israeli billionaire at the centre of a scandal over business contacts with Iran, has died at his home in Tel Aviv.

Israeli media reported the 89-year-old had passed away after a long illness.

The US last month imposed sanctions on the Ofer Brothers Group, co-owned by Mr Ofer and his brother Yuli, accusing it of selling an oil tanker to a blacklisted Iranian firm.

The Ofers denied any wrongdoing, saying the US had made an unfortunate mistake.

Forbes magazine recently said the brothers were the richest men in Israel with interests in shipping, chemicals, real estate worth $10.3bn (£6.3bn) in total.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Ooops

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13638780

Sami Ofer, an Israeli billionaire at the centre of a scandal over business contacts with Iran, has died at his home in Tel Aviv.

Israeli media reported the 89-year-old had passed away after a long illness.

The US last month imposed sanctions on the Ofer Brothers Group, co-owned by Mr Ofer and his brother Yuli, accusing it of selling an oil tanker to a blacklisted Iranian firm.

The Ofers denied any wrongdoing, saying the US had made an unfortunate mistake.

Forbes magazine recently said the brothers were the richest men in Israel with interests in shipping, chemicals, real estate worth $10.3bn (£6.3bn) in total.

What sort of long illness?

[Cain]

Embarassing Yaakov Amidror.