Tag: Department of Treasury

Did the U.S. really lift sanctions off Syria temporarily?

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

The “humanitarian exemptions”, on Syrian sanctions, are conditional!

The U.S. Treasury announced a decision on February 9 claiming to allow an easing of sanctions imposed on Syria for the ensuing six months until August 8, as part of “earthquake relief efforts.”
The decision allows for “third parties” to transfer aid to Syria without fear of U.S. sanctions, but should only be intended for aid to earthquake-effected areas. Nonetheless, the sanctions programs applied to Syria for many years, the most severe of which are the Caesar Act (2019) and Captagon Act (2022), provide for “humanitarian exceptions,” but are conditional on U.S. approval.

Did the U.S. really lift sanctions off Syria temporarily?

Related:

Did the U.S. lift sanctions on Syria?

So any earthquake relief effort must take place away from the Syrian state. In other words, it must contribute to undermining the sovereignty of the Syrian state, or it will not take place.

Millions of seniors on Social Security are at risk of losing benefits this summer if the GOP doesn’t raise the debt ceiling

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Millions of seniors on Social Security are at risk of losing benefits this summer if the GOP doesn’t raise the debt ceiling

As Insider previously reported, Biden could get around Congress through a process known as minting the coin, in which Biden could deposit a $1 trillion platinum coin in the Federal Reserve thanks to a loophole in the types of coins the Treasury can mint. But Yellen has dismissed that idea on numerous occasions and remains committed to Congress lifting the debt limit once again.

Seymour Hersh on US Bombing Nord Stream Pipelines — Radio War Nerd EP #366

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

We talk to legendary Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Seymour Hersh about his latest bombshell scoop: the United States, on President Biden’s orders, blew up the Nord Stream pipelines that were foundational to Germany’s export economy until last year.

Seymour Hersh on US Bombing Nord Stream Pipelines — Radio War Nerd EP #366 via Radio War Nerd

Previously:

US bombed Nord Stream gas pipelines, claims investigative journalist Seymour Hersh

‘Take your dirty hands off Turkey,’ Ankara rails against US envoy

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

‘Take your dirty hands off Turkey,’ Ankara rails against US envoy

On Thursday, Soylu condemned the closures as an attempt to meddle in campaigning for Turkey’s presidential and parliamentary elections, which are scheduled for 14 May. The Turkish interior minister and other officials also suggested that the Western states had issued the security warnings in order to pressure Turkey to tone down its criticism of the sacrilegious move and resolve the NATO dispute.

Video via ShanghaiEye魔都眼

Related:

Turkish minister tells US ambassador ‘Take your dirty hands off Turkey’ as sanctions sparks fly

Turkey’s parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled for May 14 are fast approaching—angry rhetoric from the Erdogan regime, designed to nationalistically rouse its core vote, is no surprise. Nor are angry interventions from US politicians who dislike the unreliability of Turkey as a Nato ally, but at the same time stop short of anything that could irretrievably wreck relations with a country crucially located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

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Brian Nelson, the US Treasury Department’s top sanctions official, visited Turkish government and private sector officials on February 2 to urge more cooperation in disrupting the flow of goods that Russia can put to use in persisting with its war on the Ukrainians.

In a speech to bankers, reported by Reuters, Nelson said a pronounced year-long rise in exports to Russia left Turkish entities ‘particularly vulnerable to reputational and sanctions risks‘, or lost access to G7 markets.

Iran’s Su-35 Aircraft Procurement Is More Dangerous Than You Think

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Iran’s Su-35 Aircraft Procurement Is More Dangerous Than You Think

Related:

The Difficulty of Disrupting Iranian Drones

Russia and Iran Are Building a Trade Route That Defies Sanctions

In all of this, some analysts see echoes of an idea that dates back more than a century and is reckoned to be the foundation of geopolitical thinking. It focused on the struggle between an oceangoing world power—the UK then, the US today—and the land giants of Eurasia. [Heartland Theory]