#2
I asked GROK about what the Cuban President said today: This is the AI's response:
On March 13, 2026, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel made a significant public statement during a televised address and press conference with national and international media. He confirmed that Cuban officials have recently held talks with representatives of the United States government amid escalating economic pressures, particularly a severe fuel and oil blockade imposed under the Trump administration, which has prevented any petroleum shipments from entering Cuba for the past three months.Key points from his statements include:The talks were led by him, along with former President Raúl Castro and other Communist Party members (he did not name U.S. participants).
The purpose is "to find solutions through dialogue to the bilateral differences" between the two nations, identify problems needing resolution based on severity and impact, and determine mutual willingness for concrete actions benefiting both peoples.
He emphasized conducting discussions "on the basis of equality and respect for the political systems of both states, and for the sovereignty and self-determination of our governments," moving away from confrontation.
"International factors" (or "international actors") have facilitated these exchanges.
He described the energy crisis's "tremendous" impact, including reduced productive activity, labor adjustments (prioritizing worker protection and salaries over outright interruptions), and the need for adaptive changes rather than just blackouts—shifting to other essential tasks.
Education and higher education remain priorities for the revolution; schools will reopen when conditions allow.
He highlighted Cuba's adaptability and unity as strengths for overcoming challenges.
This marks the first official Cuban acknowledgment of such contacts, following leaks and speculation in U.S. media. He also announced the release of 51 prisoners (brokered partly by the Vatican, per some reports) as a related goodwill gesture.No official update appears on the presidency website (presidencia.gob.cu) for March 13 yet, but the address was widely covered in real-time by outlets like CNN, Reuters, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, AP, and Cuban state media. His X account (@DiazCanelB
) and related posts reference the remarks on U.S. relations. The context is Cuba's deepening economic crisis, with no fuel imports exacerbating blackouts and shortages.
Yobe State is trending because ISWAP terrorists attacked another military camp in Goniri, but this time the Nigerian Army were prepared and eliminated over 20-40 of them.
They tried to surround the military base from two villages, fortunately they were detected.
Yobe State is trending because ISWAP terrorists attacked another military camp in Goniri, but this time the Nigerian Army were prepared and eliminated over 20-40 of them.
They tried to surround the military base from two villages, fortunately they were detected.
Troops of 120 Task Force Battalion instantly cordinated and with superior tactics, weapons, precision and air support from Op Hadin Kai, they successfully repelled the attack;
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[KavkazUzel] A magistrate in the Takhtamukaysky District found an Anapa resident guilty of insulting religious feelings and sentenced him to a fine of 60,000 rubles.
As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on September 14, 2025, the Muslim Administration of Adygea and Krasnodar Krai reported that a pig's head had been planted near the mosque in the village of Kozet in the Takhtamukaysky District of Adygea. Telegram users called for the perpetrator of the provocation to be found and punished.
On the afternoon of September 15, the Investigative Committee reported that a 43-year-old resident of Anapa had been detained ; the case was being investigated under the article on public insult to religious feelings. On September 17, a court in Adygea remanded the suspect to pretrial detention. A local activist told the "Caucasian Knot" that there had been no such provocations in Kozet, where the mosque has been operating for approximately 30 years.
According to surveillance video, a man approached the fence at night and placed a pig's head on one of the bars. He then walked a few steps away, holding his hands at face level (likely taking photos or videos on his phone), and then left the area.
According to investigators, on the night of September 14, 2025, a 43-year-old resident of Anapa, while near the grounds of a mosque in the village of Kozet in the Takhtamukaysky District, committed acts that offended the feelings of believers, the press service of the Investigative Committee of Adygea reported today on its VKontakte page.
The magistrate of judicial district No. 1 of the Takhtamukai district, having examined the materials of the criminal case against the defendant in a special procedure, found him guilty of publicly insulting the religious feelings of believers, committed in places specially designated for religious services, and sentenced him to a fine of 60,000 rubles, the joint press service of the courts of Adygea reported on its Telegram channel.
Taking into account the length of the defendant's detention, the fine was reduced to 50,000 rubles. The sentence has entered into force, the press service clarified.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[KavkazUzel] Officers from the Center for Combating Extremism and the Federal Security Service (FSB) Directorate for Kabardino-Balkaria reported on the suppression of the financing of an extremist organization by a 62-year-old resident of the Prokhladnensky District.
According to investigators, in August 2021, the suspect transferred funds to a non-profit organization whose activities were banned by the court and recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation.
Investigators have opened a criminal case against the woman on the grounds of financing extremist activity, the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Kabardino-Balkaria reported today on its Telegram channel.
Investigative actions are currently underway to establish all the circumstances and other incidents of the suspect's illegal activity. Pending the investigation, the woman has been placed under a travel restriction, the department said in a statement.
The press service did not specify which extremist non-profit organization was involved. The suspect's name was also not released.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] On March 12, the Second Western District Military Court in Moscow sentenced 11 accomplices to life imprisonment in the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack.
Umedzhon Soliev, Mustakim Soliev, Shakhromdzhon Gadoev, Zubaydullo Ismoilov, Khusein Khamidov, Muhammad Sharipzoda, Yakubdzhoni Yusufzoda, Nazrimad Lutfulloi, Jumakhon Kurbonov, Khusen Medov and Dzhabrail Aushev were sentenced to life imprisonment (all convicted persons are included in the Russian Federation list of terrorists and extremists).
In addition, Isroil Islomov, Dilovar Islomov, and Aminchon Islomov (all three are listed as terrorists and extremists in the Russian Federation), who, according to investigators, provided the perpetrators of the terrorist attack with a car and an apartment, were sentenced to 19 years and 11 months in prison. Alisher Kasimov (listed as a terrorist and extremist in the Russian Federation), who sold the perpetrators a Renault Logan, received 22 years and 6 months in prison.
Two of the convicted accomplices, Aushev and Medov, in their final statements during the closing arguments on March 2, asked to be sent to the SVO.
The court also previously sentenced the direct perpetrators of the terrorist attack to life imprisonment : Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, Saidakram Murodali Rachabalizoda, Shamsiddin Fariduni, and Muhammadsobir Faizov (all listed as terrorists and extremists in Russia). Rachabalizoda partially admitted guilt, while the other defendants fully admitted their involvement. The court also fined each of them 990,000 rubles, and they will serve part of their sentences in prison, followed by a maximum security penal colony.
The criminal case was investigated by the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia. The case file comprises 427 volumes. The trial began on August 4, 2025.
The perpetrators of the terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall concert hall near Moscow have been sentenced to life imprisonment. The Second Western District Military Court handed down the sentence on March 12.
Those in the dock are Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, Saidakram Murodali Rachabalizoda, Shamsiddin Fariduni, and Muhammadsobir Fayzov (all four are listed as terrorists and extremists in the Russian Federation). Rachabalizoda partially admitted guilt to the charges against him, while the other defendants fully confessed to their crimes.
They will serve part of their sentences in prison (from 16 to 18 years), and the rest in a maximum-security penal colony. The court also fined each of them 990,000 rubles.
The court will announce sentences for 19 defendants, all of whom are listed as terrorists in Russia. The state prosecution has requested life imprisonment for 15 of them, while the others are seeking sentences ranging from 19 years, 11 months to 22 years, 10 months in prison.
The criminal case was investigated by the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia. The case file comprises 427 volumes. The trial began on August 4, 2025, and was held in the Moscow City Court.
On March 2, two defendants in the Crocus terrorist attack, Dzhabrail Aushev and Khusen Medov (listed as terrorists and extremists by Rosfinmonitoring), requested in their closing arguments to be sent to the Special Military District. Both face life imprisonment.
[NYPost] A heroic ROTC student fatally stabbed the crazed ISIS-linked gunman who opened fire inside an Old Dominion University classroom Thursday, preventing further carnage, law enforcement sources said.
Shooter Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, 36, gunned down an instructor before the unidentified cadet jumped into action to put an end to the suspected terror attack on the Virginia college campus, according to sources.
Jalloh, who was previously convicted of trying to support ISIS, walked into the classroom and asked if it was an ROTC class, sources told The Post.
When someone told him it was, he began his trail of bloodshed, which the FBI is investigating as an act of terrorism.
Within an hour of the shooting, school officials said there was no longer a threat to staff or students.
“The shooter is now deceased thanks to a group of brave students who stepped in and subdued him – actions that undoubtedly saved lives along with the quick response of law enforcement,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement.
The instructor, a retired military officer, was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Two other victims were also wounded in the hail of bullets, but appear to be in stable condition, authorities said.
One of the victims brought themselves to the hospital, said Old Dominion University Police Chief Garrett Shelton at a press conference.
Both wounded victims are members of the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at the university, said Lt. Col. Jimmy Delongchamp.
Jalloh, a naturalized US citizen from Sierra Leone, was a member of the Virginia National Guard before he was sentenced to 11 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to ISIS, but was released from custody early in 2024, sources said.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger on Thursday evening identified the victim as Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, describing him as a "devoted ROTC instructor."
"Lt. Col. Brandon Shah was killed today in his classroom at Old Dominion University. A devoted ROTC instructor, Lt. Col. Shah didn’t just lead a life of service to our country, he taught and led others to follow that path," Spanberger said. "I am grateful for his example, deeply saddened by his death, and praying for his family. Amid this tragedy, I thank the brave students, first responders, and law enforcement officers who responded quickly to today’s horrific attack."
Multiple federal sources confirmed to Fox News that the shooter at ODU was Mohammed Jalloh, who was convicted in 2017 of providing material support to ISIS. He was released from prison in 2024.
The shooting occurred shortly before 10:49 a.m., the university said in an emergency alert.
Jalloh was pronounced dead when responding officers arrived following a shooting near ROTC cadets, ODU Police Chief Garrett Shelton told news hounds during a news conference.
"The shooter is now deceased thanks to a group of brave students who stepped in and subdued him," FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X.
Jalloh was not shot, the FBI said, without elaborating on how he died.
Jalloh, who served in the Virginia National Guard, was a naturalized U.S. citizen from Sierra Leone. He quit the military after listening to online lectures by Anwar al-Aulaqi,
…also spelt Anwar al-Awlaki…
deceased leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula ...the latest incarnation of various Qaeda and Qaeda-allied groups, including the now-defunct Aden-Abyan Islamic Army that boomed the USS Cole in 2000... , he told Sherlocks when he was arrested in 2016.
While meeting with ISIS members in Nigeria, he tried to buy firearms in North Carolina and Virginia, the Justice Department said at the time.
ODU canceled classes and operations on its main campus for the remainder of the day.
An initial alert went out to students around 10:50 a.m. warning them of an "active threat" on campus and encouraging them to follow "Run-Hide-Fight" protocols.
Patel said the agency personnel are providing assistance and working with local authorities responding to the shooting.
Evans said that in the 2016 case, Jalloh had sought "to conduct a terrorist attack similar to that" of the 2009 shooting at Texas' Fort Hood that killed 13 people and wounded dozens more.
At his 2017 sentencing, Jalloh claimed he deeply regretted his actions and was disgusted by ISIS.
"I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, but this mistake of giving any support to the violent and extreme organization ISIS has been the most devastating one I have ever decided to make in my life," he told U.S. District Judge Liam O'Grady, according to a transcript reviewed by CBS News.
He apologized to the American military and to the people of the United States, according to the transcript.
"I'm very, very sorry for what I have done," he said at the time. "I did not intend to cause any harm to anyone. And I want to say — I want to say, every time I see any atrocities that ISIS commits, I am disgusted by it because I know this is not what I want to be a part of."
The Virginia National Guard said in a statement to CBS News that Jalloh served as a combat engineer in the Virginia National Guard from April 30, 2009, to April 29, 2015, when he was honorably discharged. He held the rank of specialist and served in the 276th Engineer Battalion, 91st Troop Command.
A U.S. Army official also confirmed to CBS News that Jalloh had no deployments and left the Army with the rank of specialist.
Jalloh allegedly walked into the Old Dominion classroom on Thursday and asked if it was an ROTC class, and when someone answered, "yes," he shot the instructor several times, according to sources. Evans alleged he shouted "Allah Akbar" during the incident.
When he pleaded guilty in 2016, Jalloh admitted he had communicated with a member of ISIS who was located overseas, who introduced him to an individual in the U.S. who was actually an FBI confidential informant.
The ISIS member was believed to be actively plotting an attack and believed Jalloh would assist the informant in carrying it out. During one meeting with the FBI informant, Jalloh was asked about a timeline for an operation and commented that it was better to plan an attack for the month of Ramadan, court records say.
Prosecutors had recommended Jalloh serve 20 years in prison. It's not immediately clear why he was released before the end of his 11-year sentence, though it is not unusual in the federal prison system for inmates to be released before serving their full term of imprisonment.
He was on supervised release, which is comparable to probation, when he carried out the attack on Thursday. It wasn’t immediately clear why his release from prison had been moved up. Inmates can get time off of their sentences for a variety of reasons, but it isn’t known if that happened in this case.
Ashraf Nubani, a Virginia attorney who represented Jalloh in his 2016 criminal case, said in a statement that he’d had no recent contact with Jalloh and had no information about Thursday’s events. “Any loss of life is tragic, and violence against innocent people is completely contrary to Islamic teachings and basic human morality,” Nubani added.
Jalloh’s sister, Fatmatu Jalloh of Sterling, Virginia, said Thursday she knew nothing about the attack. She said she last saw her brother two days earlier.
“I have no idea what is going on,” she said. “I know nothing. I don’t even know who to call.”
SHOOTER CONFIRMED DEAD WITHIN 10 MINUTES OF CALL
Old Dominion University Police Chief Garrett Shelton said less than 10 minutes passed between when officers were called about a shooting in the university’s business school building and when responders determined the shooter was dead.
Authorities launched the 2016 operation after Jalloh made contact with Islamic State members in Africa earlier that year.
Jalloh later told the informant that the Islamic State group had asked if he wanted to participate in an attack. He tried to donate $500 to the Islamic State, but the money actually went to an account controlled by the FBI, according to court documents.
Jalloh then tried to buy an AR-15 assault rifle from a Virginia gun store but was turned away because he lacked the proper paperwork. He returned the next day and bought a different assault rifle that was rendered inoperable before he left the store, prosecutors said. He was arrested the following day.
The Justice Department in 2017 requested a 20-year prison sentence for Jalloh, noting that he had attempted to acquire a gun to carry out a murder plot in the United States. Jalloh’s lawyers requested a 6½-year prison sentence and placement in a facility with residential drug abuse treatment.
“By putting the idea of this murder plot into religious terms, and by suggesting that murdering members of the US military would be a path to heaven, the defendant showed how strongly committed he was to the deadly ideology of the Islamic State,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum.
U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, sentenced him instead to 11 years in prison with credit for time served and five years of supervised release. He also ordered Jalloh to participate in programs for substance abuse and mental health treatment. Based on his release date, he would have been under supervised release until 2029.
Inmates convicted of terrorism-related offenses are not eligible to reduce their sentences for good behavior or participation in a residential drug abuse treatment program.
In a letter to O’Grady prior to his sentencing, Jalloh wrote that he started using drugs after his girlfriend ended their six-year relationship.
“I feel deep regret in having been driven by my emotions rather than my intellect and becoming involved with such an evil organization,” he said. “I reject and deplore terrorism and any groups associated with it, especially ISIL.”
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] A shooting occurred at a synagogue in the US state of Michigan. The Detroit Free Press reported this on March 12, citing local police.
The incident occurred at approximately 12:30 PM local time (7:30 PM Moscow time) at Temple Israel. According to Click On Detroit, an unknown individual intentionally crashed a car into the synagogue, which then caused a fire at the scene.
"FBI officers and partners in Michigan are responding to a suspected hit-and-run shooting at a synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan," FBI Director Cash Patel wrote on social media.
There were no reports of casualties. However, law enforcement agencies clarified that the attacker himself may have sustained injuries.
As CNN journalists note, a school is also located on the synagogue grounds. Following the incident, all Bloomfield Hills schools were placed on high security alert. Residents were asked to stay away from the scene.
Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, 41, allegedly drove his truck filled with explosives and mortar shells into the Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, which also serves as a preschool, igniting a blaze.
One security officer was struck and injured by the vehicle, and the attacker was shot dead by a guard at the synagogue at around 12.20pm. The van caught fire and severely burned the suspect's body.
The synagogue got its money’s worth: they stopped the attacker dead outside the before he killed. Burn in Hell after burning here on Earth, dude.
It has since emerged that Ghazali was a naturalized US citizen from Lebanon who worked at a restaurant in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn Heights.
The suburb's mayor, Mo Baydoun, said Ghazali 'lost several members of his own family, including his niece and nephew, in an Israeli attack on their home in Lebanon.'
And therefore he attacked completely unrelated American Jews, who probably hadn’t voted for President Trump. Got it.
An unnamed source told CBS News said the attack by Israel was 10 days ago, and that two of Ghazali's brothers were also killed.
What odds that at least some of our dead miscreant’s relations were Hezbollah, dear Reader, and therefore needed killing?
Israel's strikes followed the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which prompted renewed attacks by Hezbollah against Israel.
The unnamed CBS source added that Ghazali's ex-wife said he phoned her shortly before the attack, asking her to take care of their children.
Authorities said they found the suspect's body inside the vehicle armed with a rifle.
'He breached the building, drove down the hall, and he was engaged by security,' Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said of the armed attacker at a news conference.
Ghazali was born in Lebanon in 1985 and entered the United States through Detroit Metropolitan International Airport on May 10, 2011, after alien relative and fiancé petitions filed in December 2009 were approved in April 2010, according to the New York Post.
He then applied for naturalization on October 20, 2015 and became a citizen on February 5, 2016, under the Obama administration, the outlet said.
Federal authorities said at a news conference that they are probing the horrific incident as a 'targeted act of violence' against the Jewish community.
No students or staff were injured in the attack, but a security guard was taken to the hospital after being struck by the vehicle. He is expected to recover.
Thirty law enforcement officers were also rushed to a local hospital for smoke inhalation, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said at the news conference.
'When all of our people collectively went in that building to search out the threat, to remove innocent, a lot of them took in significant amount of smoke inhalation, and they’re at the hospital being treated,' Bouchard said.
The synagogue 'became engulfed' in flames.
Authorities said they then received a call about an active shooter at the synagogue at 12.19pm, and West Bloomfield police were at the scene within five minutes.
Photos shared online showed a large police presence on the scene with smoke coming out of windows and a vent on the roof.
Scores of police vehicles from neighboring departments, a SWAT team, bomb technicians and bomb-sniffing dogs also responded to the scene.
The synagogue is a reform Jewish place of worship that was open at the time of the attack. It has one of the largest congregations in the country.
One woman who spoke to WDIV, named Lisa, said that the preschool was in use at the time.
Sheriff Bouchard said law enforcement had been on high alert since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran nearly two weeks ago.
'We've been talking for two weeks about the potential, sadly, of this happening,' he said. 'So there was no lack of preparation.
The sheriff added: 'All Jewish facilities in the area are going to have a lot of extra presence around it until we figure this out.'
The Jewish Federation of Detroit has advised all Jewish organizations in the area 'to go into lockout protocol - nobody in or out of your building.'
FBI Detroit led an Active Shooter Attack Prevention and Preparedness (ASAPP) training for the clergy and staff of Temple Israel in West Bloomfield in late January, nearly two months before Thursday's attack.
'The FBI course combines lessons learned from years of research and employs scenario-based exercises to help participants practice the decision-making process of the Run, Hide, Fight principles and take necessary actions for survival,' the agency wrote in a post on X.
'We appreciate them for having us. Our Division has partnered with many organizations in Michigan and is committed to protecting schools, workplaces, houses of worship, medical facilities, transportation centers, government facilities, other public gathering sites, and communities.'
Sheriff Bouchard has praised Temple Israel security for their response to the active shooter.
'I'm deeply proud of the response not only from the security that was on site but also of all the police officers and the firefighters that are here now,' she said.
'Training certainly helped to mitigate what happened here today.
'Everything that was supposed to happen, happened. Security did their job, and then the responders did theirs.'
My synagogue shares a building with the Cincinnati Jewish community center. When the complex was designed and built a few years after 9/11, a dedicated satellite police office was put in just inside the entrance — built at the JCC’s cost to the police department’s specifications. At the other end, the synagogue entry has security cameras, an intercom, and a window with security glass so that the office staff can see and safely talk to anyone who wants to enter the security airlock entrance before they remotely unlock the door to visitors — in case anyone wants tips on hardening their church.
The tragedy WAS prevented. Because the synagogue didn't rely on late-arriving police, and took its security into its own hands.
You have pushed for efforts to ban carry in churches. You want to aid would-be terrorists and killers like the perpetrator today. Shameful. https://t.co/iVp7YbZYO9
“The Jewish community is forced to spend over $765 million a year just to protect itself,” the Jewish Federations of North America said in a statement after Thursday’s attack.
#11
No wonder the Old Dominion story is getting two scoops of bullshit, to chaff there and ignore this.
Bobby, I first thought that, too. The US media I think would clarify as the firework....you know, if it was covered. A childrens' toy noise maker is all, and all that.
Congregants are doing that on their own, Skidmark. Increasing numbers of congregants have gotten licensed since 9/11 so they can carry at services — though no official statistics that I’m aware of. Back around 2007 or so the Brotherhood at my very Reform Jewish congregation (the rabbi was a part time lecturer at Hebrew Union College-Cincinnati, the Reform rabbinic institute’s original campus) offered its first range day for members, with a special intro to gun handling for newbies. It was led by one of the synagogue board members, if I recall correctly.
A search of the Times of Israel reveals lots of articles on the subject, the most recent four days ago. See here. I’ve posted a few over the years, but saw no reason to flood the zone.
#16
I carry to church, and I suspect many others do as well. They have 1-2 police officers at Mass, but I suspect any trouble is going to die in a hail of gunfire.
[Ynet] State-affiliated Fars reports 10 dead in mysterious overnight assault, but other sources say toll far higher, with scores of Basij and security personnel killed at checkpoints across Tehran; Iranian officials blame 'Mossad and monarchists' for attack...Earlier Wednesday, the IDF announced that dozens of Israeli Air Force fighter jets, guided by military intelligence, had completed large waves of strikes against Iranian regime infrastructure in Tehran and other areas of Iran.
According to the military, aircraft carrying out the strike missions identified personnel at an IRGC headquarters in the heart of Tehran and, within seconds, fighter jets struck the site, killing those inside. The operation also targeted headquarters and bases belonging to Iran’s internal security forces and the Basij, along with the regime’s intelligence headquarters.
Courtesy of badanov:
🇮🇱🇮🇷 Israel targets volunteer police police force (Basij) in the middle of Teheran.
That’s pretty crazy, this has nothing to do with a threat to Israel. This is a push for protests, by eliminating the anti protest police.
🇮🇱🇮🇷 Israel targets volunteer police police force (Basij) in the middle of Teheran.
That’s pretty crazy, this has nothing to do with a threat to Israel. This is a push for protests, by eliminating the anti protest police.
📝 Israeli army:
The Air Force targeted the Haft-e Tir and Basij Unit forces that had recently been established in Tehran.
- In recent days, the Israeli army identified that Basij forces had set up checkpoints at several points in the city of Tehran.
- Following the identification of these deployments, the Air Force, guided by the Military Intelligence Directorate, targeted the checkpoints and the Basij forces stationed there for attack over the past day and night, leading to their elimination.
"The main countries that supply helium are the United States, Qatar, Algeria, Russia, and Canada. The U.S. has historically been the largest producer, but Qatar has recently become a significant player in the global helium market."
Somehow I don't think the chip makers have much to worry about!
[ZeroHedge] There are thousands of ships in the global oil tanker fleet, by some estimates nearly as many as 9000 (and that excludes sanctions vessels). Just a fraction of these are either waiting to enter the blockaded straits of hormuz, or to leave it.
By contrast, the global LNG fleet is a tiny fraction, and now most of it is stuck inside the Persian Gulf.
According to the WSJ, at least 20 LNG carriers a bout half the available global fleet – are trapped in the Persian Gulf, with daily freight costs soaring as demand from Asia surges, according to ship brokers. Bloomberg lists the known LNG tankers which are currently transmitting their positions as follows:
Al Rayyan
Al Kharaitiyat
Umm Al Amad
Lebrethah
Gaslog Skagen
Sohar Lng
Disha
Al Daayen
Mubaraz
Al Sahla
Rasheeda
Patris
Seapeak Bahrain
Fuwairit
Mihzem
Mraikh
Al Ghashamiya
Most are located just off the UAE coastline:
Map at the link.
“The situation is dire and will have a lasting impact on the market, regardless of how quickly the conflict ends,” Kostas Karathanos, the chief operating officer of Athens-based Gaslog, which operates 34 gas carriers, told The Wall Street Journal.
Some 20% of global LNG exports come from Gulf countries. At the moment, however, only a handful of ships can get through the Strait of Hormuz, and production facilities like those operated by QatarEnergy have been attacked and have stopped production.
Ship brokers said the 20 ships trapped in the Persian Gulf make up nearly half of all LNG ships currently available for charter, with daily rates rising to more than $200,000 from less than $98,000 before the start of the Iran hostilities.
Energy traders expect LNG prices to rise by early next week, adding to this week’s 40% rise in Asia and Europe. “The effect on LNG shipping will outlast the conflict for a few months,” Karathanos said.
Posted by: Clem+Elmish4239 ||
03/13/2026 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1863 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
The US is unable to aid its allies in the Gulf: Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi etc. The whole world's supply of gas is cut off and don't think the world isn't noticing it.
This scenario has been gamed out thousands of times going back to paper wargames.
How is it we didn't have a winning strategy in the cupboard ready to pull out when all this started?
This is doing a tremendous amount of damage to America's prestige and reputation as a stout ally.
A few hundred balsa wood drones with propellers are all it took to knock us off our perch as top dog?
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...the latest incarnation of various Qaeda and Qaeda-allied groups, including the now-defunct Aden-Abyan Islamic Army that boomed the USS Cole in 2000...
