Poll: Is he bluffing? Tomorrow is Powerplant and Bridge day

[Zavulon]

Wow, is that the rubbish they float past you on state-run news programs? Do they shoot you if you question it? Tell Putin that unless he sends Iran a fleet of nuclear subs, destroyers, battleships and aircraft carriers full of MIG jets and a few thousand medium range strategic missiles, not to bother.

It won't make one hill of a difference in this Iran-forced conflict, and Russia will just be out of a few more billion dollars of useless russian junk that cannot even win in Ukraine because Iran has no money to pay you back.

The world already sees China's weapons are junk and many buyers are looking for refunds, don't add Russia to the laughing stock.

We'll see. Right now Irainians are doing quite well. They want to win, and they are quite determined to win (because it's their country). America, without much more significant land forces and active usage of tactical nuclear weapons can't win. And even if America wins (which is quite unlikely) the price of the victory will be terrible. And adequate American citizens don't want to pay this price for no reason, just because Trump want to distract people from Epstain files.

 

[toomuchtime_]

Well, I never mentioned the ayatollah, nuclear weapons or a confrontation. So you dreamt that up out of nowhere.

I did mention that China isn't going to sit there with their formidable navy and just let the US wreck their economy.


Would we sit on the sidelines and watch? Nope. But you expect them to...

As I said, you're drunk on the Orange Koolaid and sobriety is not going to happen for a long time.

So now you're claiming you are innocent by reason of stupidity. If China sent warships into the Gulf to break the US blockade of Iran's ports that would constitute an armed confrontation and the only reason for the current situation is that Iran has refused to end its nuclear weapons program. Are you really so stupid you can't see these connections?

 

[toomuchtime_]

And how do you "target" the rudder.

C'mon....you can say it....

You aim presicion misslies or cannon at it.

Actually there was.

I documented each time (I could have gone much deeper) the GOP has told us that sacrificing blood and treasure in the middle east is imperative. It only turned out to be true once in 40 years of republican invasions.

You provided no analysis of the present situation that would lead Chian to risk armed conflict with the US.

 

[candycorn]

So now you're claiming you are innocent by reason of stupidity.

No...just explaining that your imagining things I never said. I think you're probably borderline schizoid and probably should be under the care of a trained psychotherapist.

If China sent warships into the Gulf to break the US blockade of Iran's ports that would constitute an armed confrontation and the only reason for the current situation is that Iran has refused to end its nuclear weapons program.

Thats one polluted stream of consciousness. China wants it's oil and other resources. Again, you're dreaming of a infantile nuclear program that didn't pose a threat to the US. China has it's own nukes....

Are you really so stupid you can't see these connections?

I really cannot....since they are figments of your imagination.

Did you take narcotics today?

 

[candycorn]

You aim presicion misslies or cannon at it.

Ahh...and where is the rudder?

You provided no analysis of the present situation that would lead Chian to risk armed conflict with the US.

China wants it's oil. Either they get it or they are going to get hostile. I'm sure we can handle them. What we can't handle is the economic turmoil that they could impose on us as a result. China is a pretty strong opponent, agreed?

 

[toomuchtime_]

Ahh...and where is the rudder?

China wants it's oil. Either they get it or they are going to get hostile. I'm sure we can handle them. What we can't handle is the economic turmoil that they could impose on us as a result. China is a pretty strong opponent, agreed?

China is strong but unlike you the Chinese are not stupid and that's why they would not risk an armed conflict with the US.

Your problem is you are starting to believe President Trump will be successful in bringing down the ayatollahs' regime and ending their nuclear weapons program, and you would rather see the US in a war with China that allow Trump a victory. That's how sick and depraved you are.

 

[candycorn]

China is strong but unlike you the Chinese are not stupid and that's why they would not risk an armed conflict with the US.

Are you sure that your blob wants to piss off China by depriving them of oil?

Your problem is you are starting to believe President Trump will be successful in bringing down the ayatollahs' regime and ending their nuclear weapons program, and you would rather see the US in a war with China that allow Trump a victory. That's how sick and depraved you are.

Trump has like zero foreign policy successes....so essentially the last thing I'm worried about (except for paying your therapy bills) is him being successful. We're going to be over there for the foreseeable future because of this dope.

If China starts escorting their tankers out of the Gulf, the blob will back down. That is all there is to it. Currently, China is happy getting its oil from Russia (remember them?) and for the time being that makes the blob happy because his first loyalty is to Russia; it always has been.

If China had choked off the Strait, would the US sit around and let it happen? Nope.

 

[toomuchtime_]

Are you sure that your blob wants to piss off China by depriving them of oil?

Trump has like zero foreign policy successes....so essentially the last thing I'm worried about (except for paying your therapy bills) is him being successful. We're going to be over there for the foreseeable future because of this dope.

If China starts escorting their tankers out of the Gulf, the blob will back down. That is all there is to it. Currently, China is happy getting its oil from Russia (remember them?) and for the time being that makes the blob happy because his first loyalty is to Russia; it always has been.

If China had choked off the Strait, would the US sit around and let it happen? Nope.

Again, China is not stupid enough to risk armed conflict with the US. The US is not blockading the Gulf, just Iranian ports, and no Chinese tankers will be allowed to enter Iranian ports or to leave them if they were already there when the blockade started.

 

[toobfreak]

We'll see. Right now Irainians are doing quite well.

Oh, is that the official story? Iran now has lost 90% of its entire export economy without a single shot fired.

They are just stupidly postponing the inevitable.

 

[candycorn]

Again, China is not stupid enough to risk armed conflict with the US. The US is not blockading the Gulf, just Iranian ports, and no Chinese tankers will be allowed to enter Iranian ports or to leave them if they were already there when the blockade started.

That's hilarious....thinking we can tell China what to do in international waters.

Meanwhile back in reality:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/14/us/politics/trump-iran-blockade-china.html

=====

Mr. Trump is expected to land in Beijing in four weeks, in what was imagined as a carefully planned, highly orchestrated effort to recast the relationship between the world’s two largest economies.

The president has already delayed the trip once, and White House officials insist there is no discussion of putting it off again, even if the United States is still choking off Iranian oil exports. Ninety percent of those exports — more than 1.3 million barrels per day — were purchased by China before the American and Israeli attack began on Feb. 28.

At first the Chinese were relatively quiet about the military action, knowing that the shipments already at sea and an impressive stockpile of emergency reserves of oil would likely tide them through. They ignored Mr. Trump’s demand that China send warships to keep the strait open. They produced standard-issue calls for both sides to stand down.

But once the blockade began on Monday, and facing the prospect that Chinese-flagged cargo ships, some manned by Chinese crews, could be turned away by the U.S. Navy, the tone shifted.

China’s leader, Xi Jinping, made his first public comments on the war on Tuesday, saying that the world could not risk reverting “to the law of the jungle.” He never mentioned the United States or Mr. Trump. But he did not need to, adding during a meeting with the crown prince of Abu Dhabi that “to maintain the authority of international rule of law, we cannot use it when it suits us and abandon it when it doesn’t.”

It was a clear reference to Mr. Trump, who in January told The New York Times that “I don’t need international law,” adding, “I’m not looking to hurt people.” He made it clear that he would be the arbiter of when international legal constraints applied to his actions.

China’s foreign ministry, playing its accustomed role in signaling between Washington and Beijing, took a tougher line, accusing the United States of a “targeted blockade” that “will only aggravate confrontation, escalate tension, under the already fragile cease-fire, and further jeopardize safe passage thorough the Strait of Hormuz.”

For his part, Mr. Trump has largely refrained from uttering much criticism, even when it became clear last week that U.S. intelligence agencies had obtained information that China might have sent a shipment of shoulder-fired missiles to the Iranians, for use in the conflict. The intelligence was not definitive, and there is no evidence that Chinese missiles have been used against U.S. or Israeli forces.

====

They don't sound afraid. Considering that we buy so much from them and they buy (comparatively) so little from us....I get it.

One of my pet peeves about MAGA turds like yourself is that you're not really a republican...you're more of an anarchist. But in this regard, you're just like all other republicans....more than willing to send someone else's kids to die for oil. That has been the GOP creed since Reagan.

BTW...it brings up a good question...why haven't you enlisted in the military? Too comfy in the basement there; waiting for someone to bring you cookies and milk?

 

[toomuchtime_]

That's hilarious....thinking we can tell China what to do in international waters.

Meanwhile back in reality:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/14/us/politics/trump-iran-blockade-china.html

=====

Mr. Trump is expected to land in Beijing in four weeks, in what was imagined as a carefully planned, highly orchestrated effort to recast the relationship between the world’s two largest economies.

The president has already delayed the trip once, and White House officials insist there is no discussion of putting it off again, even if the United States is still choking off Iranian oil exports. Ninety percent of those exports — more than 1.3 million barrels per day — were purchased by China before the American and Israeli attack began on Feb. 28.

At first the Chinese were relatively quiet about the military action, knowing that the shipments already at sea and an impressive stockpile of emergency reserves of oil would likely tide them through. They ignored Mr. Trump’s demand that China send warships to keep the strait open. They produced standard-issue calls for both sides to stand down.

But once the blockade began on Monday, and facing the prospect that Chinese-flagged cargo ships, some manned by Chinese crews, could be turned away by the U.S. Navy, the tone shifted.

China’s leader, Xi Jinping, made his first public comments on the war on Tuesday, saying that the world could not risk reverting “to the law of the jungle.” He never mentioned the United States or Mr. Trump. But he did not need to, adding during a meeting with the crown prince of Abu Dhabi that “to maintain the authority of international rule of law, we cannot use it when it suits us and abandon it when it doesn’t.”

It was a clear reference to Mr. Trump, who in January told The New York Times that “I don’t need international law,” adding, “I’m not looking to hurt people.” He made it clear that he would be the arbiter of when international legal constraints applied to his actions.

China’s foreign ministry, playing its accustomed role in signaling between Washington and Beijing, took a tougher line, accusing the United States of a “targeted blockade” that “will only aggravate confrontation, escalate tension, under the already fragile cease-fire, and further jeopardize safe passage thorough the Strait of Hormuz.”

For his part, Mr. Trump has largely refrained from uttering much criticism, even when it became clear last week that U.S. intelligence agencies had obtained information that China might have sent a shipment of shoulder-fired missiles to the Iranians, for use in the conflict. The intelligence was not definitive, and there is no evidence that Chinese missiles have been used against U.S. or Israeli forces.

====

They don't sound afraid. Considering that we buy so much from them and they buy (comparatively) so little from us....I get it.

One of my pet peeves about MAGA turds like yourself is that you're not really a republican...you're more of an anarchist. But in this regard, you're just like all other republicans....more than willing to send someone else's kids to die for oil. That has been the GOP creed since Reagan.

BTW...it brings up a good question...why haven't you enlisted in the military? Too comfy in the basement there; waiting for someone to bring you cookies and milk?

If you weren't so stupid and so ignorant you would know the US has a history of stopping Chinese ships in international waters for violations of sanctions or arms sales, etc.

 

[candycorn]

If you weren't so stupid and so ignorant you would know the US has a history of stopping Chinese ships in international waters for violations of sanctions or arms sales, etc.

I would love to see a link to that....

 

[candycorn]

Then there is this...

Trump’s Iran Blockade Not Working as Multiple Ships Pass Through

The blockade to counter oil tankers passing through the strait was aimed at Iran and China - but it's not stopping them so far.

www.newsweek.com

 

[toomuchtime_]

I would love to see a link to that....

AI Overview



Yes, the United States has recently intercepted, boarded, and seized Chinese-owned vessels in international waters, primarily as part of enforcement actions against sanctioned trade with countries like Iran and Venezuela.

Recent Major Interceptions and Seizures
Since late 2025, the U.S. has intensified maritime interdiction efforts under President Donald Trump’s administration:

• Raid off Sri Lanka (November 2025): U.S. forces raided a cargo ship traveling from China to Iran several hundred miles from Sri Lanka. This was noted as the first time in several years that U.S. forces had intercepted cargo moving from China to Iran.
• Seizure of Oil Tankers off Venezuela (December 2025): The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted and seized at least two oil tankers in international waters off the Venezuelan coast.
  • One vessel, the Centuries (falsely identified as the "Crag"), was Chinese-owned and carrying 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan crude oil bound for China.
  • A second Chinese-owned tanker, which was flying a Panamanian flag but was not on any official sanctions list, was boarded by U.S. agents via helicopter while operating in international waters.
• Boardings in the South Pacific (February 2024): U.S. Coast Guardsmen, alongside local police from Kiribati, boarded and inspected two Chinese fishing vessels in the South Pacific to screen for illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Ongoing Strait of Hormuz Blockade (April 2026)
As of April 13, 2026, the U.S. Navy has initiated a formal blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, targeting vessels entering or departing Iranian ports. [1, 2, 3]

• Enforcement Actions: During the first 24 hours of the blockade, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that six merchant vessels complied with orders to turn around.
• Specific Chinese Vessels:
  • The Rich Starry, a Chinese-owned tanker falsely registered in Malawi, initially turned back from the Strait minutes after the blockade began but successfully transited on a second attempt on April 14, 2026.
  • Reports indicated that at least two China-bound ships were turned away by the U.S. Navy around April 13, 2026.
• U.S. Directives: President Trump has directed the Navy to "seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran". [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

Legal and Diplomatic Tensions

• Chinese Response: China has officially condemned these seizures as "economic piracy" and a "serious violation of international law".
• International Law: While U.S. officials argue the blockade is a legitimate operation against a belligerent state (Iran), the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has stated there is no legal basis in international law to block straits used for international navigation.
• Arctic Encounters: In the Bering Sea and Arctic Ocean, the U.S. Coast Guard has shadowed and queried Chinese research vessels and military ships but typically operates under "presence with presence" protocols rather than forceful stops, provided the vessels adhere to international norms. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

 

[candycorn]

AI Overview



Yes, the United States has recently intercepted, boarded, and seized Chinese-owned vessels in international waters, primarily as part of enforcement actions against sanctioned trade with countries like Iran and Venezuela.

Recent Major Interceptions and Seizures
Since late 2025, the U.S. has intensified maritime interdiction efforts under President Donald Trump’s administration:

• Raid off Sri Lanka (November 2025): U.S. forces raided a cargo ship traveling from China to Iran several hundred miles from Sri Lanka. This was noted as the first time in several years that U.S. forces had intercepted cargo moving from China to Iran.
• Seizure of Oil Tankers off Venezuela (December 2025):The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted and seized at least two oil tankers in international waters off the Venezuelan coast.
  • One vessel, the Centuries (falsely identified as the "Crag"), was Chinese-owned and carrying 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan crude oil bound for China.
  • A second Chinese-owned tanker, which was flying a Panamanian flag but was not on any official sanctions list, was boarded by U.S. agents via helicopter while operating in international waters.
• Boardings in the South Pacific (February 2024): U.S. Coast Guardsmen, alongside local police from Kiribati, boarded and inspected two Chinese fishing vessels in the South Pacific to screen for illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Ongoing Strait of Hormuz Blockade (April 2026)
As of April 13, 2026, the U.S. Navy has initiated a formal blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, targeting vessels entering or departing Iranian ports. [1, 2, 3]

• Enforcement Actions: During the first 24 hours of the blockade, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that six merchant vessels complied with orders to turn around.
• Specific Chinese Vessels:
  • The Rich Starry, a Chinese-owned tanker falsely registered in Malawi, initially turned back from the Strait minutes after the blockade began but successfully transited on a second attempt on April 14, 2026.
  • Reports indicated that at least two China-bound ships were turned away by the U.S. Navy around April 13, 2026.
• U.S. Directives: President Trump has directed the Navy to "seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran". [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

Legal and Diplomatic Tensions

• Chinese Response: China has officially condemned these seizures as "economic piracy" and a "serious violation of international law".
• International Law: While U.S. officials argue the blockade is a legitimate operation against a belligerent state (Iran), the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has stated there is no legal basis in international law to block straits used for international navigation.
• Arctic Encounters: In the Bering Sea and Arctic Ocean, the U.S. Coast Guard has shadowed and queried Chinese research vessels and military ships but typically operates under "presence with presence" protocols rather than forceful stops, provided the vessels adhere to international norms. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

So aside from one incident over fishing/whaling in 2024, the "history" is just one of Trump violating international law?

 

[toomuchtime_]

So aside from one incident over fishing/whaling in 2024, the "history" is just one of Trump violating international law?

Clearly it is not one incident and it demonstrates that China does not respond aggressively to US ships stopping Chinese ships in international waters.

 

[candycorn]

Clearly it is not one incident and it demonstrates that China does not respond aggressively to US ships stopping Chinese ships in international waters.

You did see where they were planning on buying over a million barrels a day from Iran....right?

It takes a special type of idiocy to think that they are just going to shrug as we choke off their vital resources. And you have that special type of idiocy...congratulations.

And in true chicken-hawk form...you're fine with risking the lives of other people over oil....just not your own right?

 

[kyzr]

You target its engine or rudder, disabling the ship.

Or the Marines or Navy Seals fast rope down from helicopters and take control like we did in the Caribbean.

 

[kyzr]

Then there is this...

Trump’s Iran Blockade Not Working as Multiple Ships Pass Through

The blockade to counter oil tankers passing through the strait was aimed at Iran and China - but it's not stopping them so far.

www.newsweek.com

The three ships that were let thru yesterday were not carrying oil.

MSN

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

Whatever is necessary...how do you stop a tanker if you can't get on board?

And, oh yeah, if you can get on board...who is to say that Iran hasn't booby-trapped the vessel to explode and essentially shut down the Strait to all traffic and kill our sailors?

.

Email the captain of that ship a satellite photo of his home.






.