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Iran starts Bitcoin-backed ship insurance for Hormuz strait

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211–220 of 737 posts

Re: Iran starts Bitcoin-backed ship insurance for Hormuz strait

#211
post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know enough about the current state of naval warfare but I've assumed this is related to the asymmetry that's emerged around protecting capital warships, especially in the scenario of a very narrow strait and a long enemy-controlled coastline. They can shoot relatively low-cost, short-range guided missiles from anywhere along the coast. Even if a warship stops the vast majority of them, only one has to get th…

Modern US surface warships such as the DDG-52 Arleigh Burke class are pretty survivable. The Iranians (and their Houthi proxies) have made sustained attacks on them and don't seem to have hit anything. And a single hit would be highly unlikely to sink such as vessel: we're not talking about something like the Russian Moskva cruiser that was crewed by drunks and had inoperative defensive systems. The real problem is t…

The Iranians (and their Houthi proxies) have made sustained attacks on them and don't seem to have hit anything.

That's because the US has kept the surface combatants far back from the Persian Gulf for the duration of the war.

As far as we know, they have attempted to run the strait twice and had to turn back because they were under sustained attack.

I assume these ships can defend themselves for some period of time, but eventually the munitions run out, and they become sitting ducks. There is a reason the US Navy fled the Persian Gulf on Feb 26 and has not returned since.

Re: Iran starts Bitcoin-backed ship insurance for Hormuz strait

#212

The US should be happy about this. Maybe. Iran seeking reparations is a reasonable demand, this gives the US a way to satisfy a demand without having to pay themselves - which certainly would not be popular, to say the least - making an exit easier. There is of course the risk of setting an undesirable precedent and it is not clear what the consequences of that would be.

If anything we hand them tons of cash near 0% to rebuild and they join the Eurodollar cartel pushing our hegemony further. Politicians would need to do a better job explaining deficit spending and Keynesianism more generally.

Re: Iran starts Bitcoin-backed ship insurance for Hormuz strait

#213
post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is an incredible 180 degree misinterpretation of who attacked whom. Iran is garnering incredible international sympathy and support. There is no just war theory that can support what America has done to Iran. It is immoral, illegal aggression.

> Iran is garnering incredible international sympathy and support. From who?

Look around you mate.

There are protests against the war/against the US/against Israel in major capitals, the Lego videos go viral, news regularly mention EU heads of state talking to Iranian ministers. After weeks of the strait being shut, no EU country has joined US and Israel. Every EU opposition party is including the end of the war in their manifesto. Does any of that look like no support?

For most of the world, Iran is the victim of two dangerous countries. I bet you a tenner that when the US and Israel give up and the end of the war is officially announced, there'll be dancing in your streets.

Re: Iran starts Bitcoin-backed ship insurance for Hormuz strait

#214
post #204
post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Modern US surface warships such as the DDG-52 Arleigh Burke class are pretty survivable. The Iranians (and their Houthi proxies) have made sustained attacks on them and don't seem to have hit anything. And a single hit would be highly unlikely to sink such as vessel: we're not talking about something like the Russian Moskva cruiser that was crewed by drunks and had inoperative defensive systems. The real problem is t…

I don't know anything about this but I am a software engineer. Stop laughing for a minute because I do have a point. As a software engineer, I typically build something and engineer it so I can iterate quickly and improve it. I know that the first version won't work. Isn't this a perfect opportunity for Iran to iterate on sinking cargo ships? I'm struggling to believe that a regime that is (allegedly) weeks away from…

Iterating on a rocket design is not like making a tweak to a line of code. It needs production line changes, manufacturing, testing, (repeat X times) where the process takes weeks, months or even years untill desired results can be achieved. And their manudacturing sites have been reduced to rubble, so that slows things down too.

Re: Iran starts Bitcoin-backed ship insurance for Hormuz strait

#215

Much of the post-WW2 American-led world order was founded partially on the United States using its military to keep international waters open. It would be quite stunning Iran defeated the united states in this sense. The military might is there, but this administration clearly had no idea what they were getting themselves into and did not plan accordingly. (and does not have the will or public support to do so) The b…

Or is it posible this administration just took a win-win-win position? 1 - US oil and gas companies make money as oil proces rise. The US is the largest producer in the world. 2 - China loses it's major source of oil and gas. 3 - Iran gets neutralized. It may not look like it now, but it will probably end up that way.

You don’t permanently remove 20% of the worlds oil, 30% of the fertilizer while having a incredibly financialized economy and somehow get on the other side of it healthy and rich.

For one, this would be the end of the Petrodollar and with it the ability to have huge trade deficits siphoning more than 1 trillion in goods and services from the rest of the world in exchange for fancy green paper.

Re: Iran starts Bitcoin-backed ship insurance for Hormuz strait

#216
post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure the extent to which either Daesh or Andar Allah are formally operating in Somalia, but I apologize if I cast unfair aspersions. I don't believe there are any formal or uniform or centralized funding of the pirates at all, though—many were simply fisherman who could no longer make a living. This is just my understanding however. I'm also open to the idea that the pirates aren't just from Somalia.

The level of ordinance is enough evidence that there is significant outside support. RPG-7s do not grow on trees in Somalia. I hazard to guess an RPG on the black market is also a great expense to anyone who isn't being given one by one of these groups connected to the arms trade in effort to advance their goals or position in some way.

They cost under $500/launcher: https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/one-for-history-books...

$300/launcher here: https://www.un.org/depts/los/nippon/unnff_programme_home/fel...

A decade ago it wasn't terrorist groups funding them.

Re: Iran starts Bitcoin-backed ship insurance for Hormuz strait

#217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

3 - Iran moderates are neutralized, so hardcore fanatics from IRGC take over. Loss for literally everybody. Otherwise, 1) and 2) are true, Europe is bleeding through the nose with buying US oil and depending on its current antagonist, not smart long term situation that we need to move away asap. Somebody in US government is making literal billions on shorts and various trade deals just before major announcements keep…

[flagged]

This is basically American propaganda.

Re: Iran starts Bitcoin-backed ship insurance for Hormuz strait

#218
post #204
post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Modern US surface warships such as the DDG-52 Arleigh Burke class are pretty survivable. The Iranians (and their Houthi proxies) have made sustained attacks on them and don't seem to have hit anything. And a single hit would be highly unlikely to sink such as vessel: we're not talking about something like the Russian Moskva cruiser that was crewed by drunks and had inoperative defensive systems. The real problem is t…

I don't know anything about this but I am a software engineer. Stop laughing for a minute because I do have a point. As a software engineer, I typically build something and engineer it so I can iterate quickly and improve it. I know that the first version won't work. Isn't this a perfect opportunity for Iran to iterate on sinking cargo ships? I'm struggling to believe that a regime that is (allegedly) weeks away from…

Yes, Iran has already hit several merchant vessels. Their ability to do that occasionally is not in doubt. It's mostly a question of economics. The ship owners and insurers have to decide whether it's worth the risk to run their cargoes through. This has all happened before with the 1980s "Tanker War" between Iraq and Iran: despite some losses the traffic never completely stopped.

And large merchant ships, especially crude oil tankers, and quite tough to sink. When they take a hit it usually just causes some damage.

Re: Iran starts Bitcoin-backed ship insurance for Hormuz strait

#219

My first thought: what mining power does Iran have? Seems important.

It's worth remembering that the Iranians have as yet never claimed that the strait is mined. They have said that it may be. A lot of reporting misses this and assumes (perhaps deliberately) that the presence of mines is a fact.

But of course Iran doesn't need mines to enforce the blockade. They have drones and missiles that can be operated safely from 100's of kilometres away. They have anti-ship sea-skimming missiles. Not to mention the very large fleet of small armed fastboats.

Re: Iran starts Bitcoin-backed ship insurance for Hormuz strait

#220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

That “moderate” narrative is nuts. Moderate Khamenei lol

That’s what the propaganda you’ve been fed since a child tells you.

The real crazy savages are not it Tehran but in TelAviv and Washington.

The Iranians are just defending themselves from monsters who still think civilized people nukes and napalms civilian population, finance Latin American and African dictatorships and torture, etc.

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