The US and Japan have agreed on investments in American energy amounting to $73 billion, according to a joint statement from the parties, published by the US Department of Commerce.

As part of the new agreement between Washington and Tokyo, GE Vernova Hitachi will build small modular reactors in the states of Tennessee and Alabama for up to $40 billion. Additionally, gas generation projects will be implemented in the state of Pennsylvania for $17 billion and in Texas for up to $16 billion.

Source: RIA Novosti
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Oh, to be a conquered protectorate of the USA. No matter how badly you are abused, you must continue to grovel and pay tribute.

🌒@EastCalling

Geran Chronicles:

A fire at the Mina Al-Ahmad oil refinery in Kuwait after it was attacked by Iranian drones.

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Jeffrey Sachs observes that all of the countries that condemned Iran but not the US-Israeli aggression have US military bases on their soil and are beholden to the CIA. "They watch their backs."

The only countries to condemn the US-Israeli aggression were Russia, China, and Somalia.

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Ghalibaf: Targeting the American F35 was the collapse of an order.

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A special report by Sabreen News

A number of American aircraft have landed at the US occupation base, Victoria, at Baghdad Airport.
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Earlier, it was reported that activity at this based had stalled to some launches of reconnaissance drones. Perhaps an operation is about to take place.

🌒@EastCalling

АДЕКВАТ Z writes,

The dispatch of a second Marine Expeditionary Unit from San Diego to the Middle East strongly suggests that the aggressor does not see or expect any good for itself in the current inertial scenario of combat operations.

The continuation of exchanges of strikes in the current mode will lead to the exhaustion of the aggressors' ammunition supplies, first for air defense (which is already quite evident), and then for offensive operations. Both Israel's and the Arab energy infrastructure are increasingly battered and humiliated. The methodical accumulation of secondary economic effects is occurring almost worldwide. Most importantly, there is a complete lack of any prospects for a strategic victory.

The point of no return with the option of declaring this very victory and retreating like an alpha-chimp, I believe, has long been passed. It's not so much that Iran won't let them go for free, but that the consolidation of current results, especially as their details become public, will become an obvious and indelible embarrassment for Trump. An embarrassment of such a kind that he would consider it personal happiness if two-thirds of the Senate, including many Republicans, did not vote for impeachment after November.

Therefore, some form of ground operation seems absolutely inevitable, and preparations for it are already clearly visible; the only intrigue is whether to wait for the start after the arrival of the first expeditionary unit from Okinawa in a week, or to wait for the second one, in about three weeks. Regardless of the tactical results that the operation might bring, strategically, the aggressor will only dig himself deeper into a muddy clay track, multiplying the cost of waging war (including for the grateful planet) and the cost of withdrawing from it by who-knows-how-much. But Americans are not unfamiliar with this.

We await their next move not with impatience, but with great interest - and we wholeheartedly believe that among all the possible objectives of a ground operation, the alpha-chimp will choose the most grandiose and the most suicidal for his troops.

🌒@EastCalling

‼️ According to a source close to the government, israel is developing a plan to strip Soviet citizens of their israeli citizenship.

The reason for this is Iran's support and agreement with Moscow's position on the issue.

☝️If alternative markets prove more attractive for Russian energy resources, Moscow will fully reorient towards them, said Peskov.

By refusing supplies from Russia, Europeans are shooting themselves in the foot, noted the press secretary of the Russian president.

Earlier, Ursula von der Leyen said that the EC does not intend to revise the deadlines for abandoning Russian LNG. She added that the refusal of Russian energy carriers will continue even if there is a shortage of energy resources in Europe.

Source: Zvezda
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🌒@EastCalling

The EU has no "Plan B" for transferring €90 billion to Kyiv, Tusk stated:

If a certain state, in this case Hungary, digs its heels in and continues to block changes to the community budget, it will succeed in doing so.

Source: TASS
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🌒@EastCalling

❗️ Moscow calls for increasing pressure on Kyiv to stop reckless attacks on international energy infrastructure in Russia, said Maria Zakharova.

In a comment on the latest attacks on the compressor stations of the "Blue" and "Turkish" pipelines on March 17-19, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that Kyiv hopes to undermine Moscow's position as a reliable supplier and transit of energy resources and keep the Ukrainian crisis in the spotlight.

A direct consequence of such terrorist activities by Kyiv could be serious damage to regional energy security, which could lead to further destabilization of the global energy market.

Maria Zakharova also drew attention to the coincidence of the attack on energy facilities with Zelensky's meetings with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, which "unintentionally leads to the thought of its true beneficiaries".

Russia, Zakharova stressed, continues to work with "partners interested in the safe and reliable operation of the existing international energy and logistics infrastructure, ensuring the supply of Russian hydrocarbons".

Source: Vesti
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🌒@EastCalling

The main statements of Dmitry Peskov:

▪️There is currently no clarity about the possible venue for the next round of trilateral talks on Ukraine;

▪️Russia hopes to continue trilateral talks on Ukraine in the near future, and the current pause is temporary;

▪️For Russia, the main question is why Europe is directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine, rather than avoiding supporting the US in Iran;

▪️There is no answer to why Europe is provoking the continuation of the conflict in Ukraine, instead of promoting peace;

▪️Global demand for fertilizers is growing, and Russia is able to meet the growing market demand;

▪️Russia will completely reorient its energy sales to new growing markets if it becomes clear that these markets are more attractive;

▪️The Kiev regime should unconditionally stop attempts to strike compressor stations;

▪️Russia is in contact with its friends from Cuba and is discussing possible options for providing assistance to the republic;

▪️Putin may hold an international telephone conversation in the afternoon.

Source: TASS
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🌒@EastCalling

Hungary considers the explosion of the "Nord Stream" and the attacks on the "Turkish Stream" as terrorist acts by Ukraine, Orban stated.

He noted that he would appeal to the international community and declare Ukraine's actions as state terrorism if it were to blow up the "Turkish Stream".

Source: TASS
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🌒@EastCalling

‼️The Russian Foreign Ministry has lodged a protest with the Israeli ambassador to Moscow, Oded Yosef, in connection with the shooting of RT television crew members in southern Lebanon, the ministry said.

Russia demands a thorough investigation into the circumstances of the incident and the prevention of such practices in the future.

Source: Vesti
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🌒@EastCalling

🤦‍♂️Merz threatens Orban after the EU summit, at which the Hungarian Prime Minister blocked a loan to Ukraine, Szijjarto said.

According to the head of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry, the German Chancellor is still "nervous". But no matter how upset the Germans are, and no matter how angry Merz is, there will be no money for Kyiv as long as they keep Budapest in an oil blockade, he added.

Meanwhile, Orban stated that he is not afraid of threats of disenfranchisement or trial from the EU, because he is hardened by threats of death to him and his family from Kyiv.

Source: Zvezda
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⚡️ France seized the tanker Deyna in the Mediterranean Sea, which was heading from Russia under a Mozambican flag, Macron announced.

Source: Vesti
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🌒@EastCalling

The Japanese society was horrified by Trump's remarks about Pearl Harbor, writes The New York Times. Japanese residents are accustomed to previous US leaders avoiding harsh discussions about this attack, notes the newspaper.

Earlier, a Japanese journalist asked why Washington did not warn Tokyo and its allies about its intention to attack Iran.

"We didn't tell anyone about it because we wanted to maintain the element of surprise. Who, apart from Japan, knows better about surprise? Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor? I think you believe in the element of surprise much more than we do," — replied Trump.

Source: Бочарик
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😏😏😏 Enjoy.

🌒@EastCalling

❗️Кримсон Дайджест on oil price manipulation:

🈁[Notes] Attempts to "squeeze oil (and gas)" are becoming more desperate

1. Possible manipulation in the futures market.

Despite the fact that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent denies US Treasury intervention through oil futures, a significant part of the market is convinced of the opposite.

At least two very respected sources:

1.1. The director of energy markets at Carlyle Group (with assets under management of ~450 billion dollars, one US president, one US defense secretary, one State Department head, and one British prime minister worked in the company "on errands"), points to a very strange "block deal" of 11 million barrels (which is a lot "at once") in oil futures, just against the backdrop of last week's fall.

1.2. Analysts at Energy Aspects (a fairly large independent consulting company in the oil and gas sector), according to its director Amrita Sen, also note "strange deals" in the market.

For those who are not familiar with the market: the price of oil futures (like gold) is "paper" (physical delivery is usually issued for 1-3% of the volume, the rest is "rolled over"/transferred to the next contract according to the calendar), and in some cases, futures prices can differ significantly from "physical" prices, that is, the price of a specific commodity with physical delivery at a specific time and place (or spot delivery "right now"). At any lengthy distances, the physical price almost always "wins" the paper one, that is, the prices converge closer to it (which is logical, because even in a "paper" contract in London or Chicago, there is an option to "go to delivery", which shifts the price towards the physical market). Currently, some market participants point to a certain discrepancy between the cost of "physical" barrels and "paper" barrels, which raises questions. The spot "physical" oil in Asia is currently $120–150 (it's impossible to be more precise, the situation is too fluid).

2. The Trump administration is considering lifting sanctions on Iranian oil, which is already at sea.

(Reuters) - The U.S. may soon remove sanctions on Iranian oil stranded on tankers at sea, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday as Washington seeks to curb prices soaring over Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
"In the coming days, we may unsanction the Iranian oil that's on the ​water. It's about 140 million barrels," Bessent told Fox Business Network's "Mornings with Maria" program.

140 million barrels will "buy" about 8-10 days of holding (or reducing, if combined with other factors) oil prices. But it will give Iran a certain amount of "extra" billions of dollars, and it will also be quite humiliating from the point of view of the Arab allies of the United States: while their refinery terminals are burning, Tehran (with the blessing of Washington) receives additional money for oil.

3. Mr. Trump dared to "open his mouth on Netanyahu himself" and gently hinted that Israel is engaged in counterproductive self-activity and unnecessarily attacked Iranian oil and gas infrastructure, to which Iran responded with a strike on Qatar's LNG production. Mr. Trump will be scolded in the stable for such a public violation of subordination, of course, but the oil price was able to be slightly lowered.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. We are still far from the situation (we need about a month, taking into account all the lifted sanctions, the reduction in "barrels of oil at sea", the injection of G7 countries' reserves into the market, etc.) when the full effect will be felt. Even if Trump does not go all the way, the effect is already very good, but if he does, he will deserve a medal of an honorary oilman of the Russian Federation.

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🌒@EastCalling