is this for real?

[substitute]

Iran conducts all crude oil trade in euro and yen

TEHRAN, April 30 (Reuters) - Iran, the world's fourth-largest oil producer, is conducting all its crude trading in euro and yen, instead of the U.S. dollar, an Iranian official was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

So, maybe a guy shooting his mouth off, or a mistake of some kind. But Google only has 11 articles grouped in this topic and if it's true, it would be an uncomfortably big story. Because unless I'm wrong, that's a war-starter move.

Thanks to hepkitten for the pointer

Comments

[vanmojo.livejournal.com]

No, this is quite true. Iran is abandoning the Petro-Dollar for the Euro. Iran had been moving in this direction quietly for a while. A lot of petroleum producing countries are.

Yeah... it could very well be a war starter move. There's also another dimension to this, in that many countries have started to nationalize their extraction industries, essentially putting out big signs that say Yanquis Keep Out.

This places more influence on American policy with Saudi Arabia, one of the few places still stubbornly faithful to the greenback.

The reason there are so few article so far is that people don't really understand what a big deal that really is. Regular folk don't understand how the price they pay at the pump is linked to the ability of the dollar to compete on the world currency market.

If the rest of the OPEC nations start dropping the dollar, for the Euro, then things are really going to get "interesting" as the Chinese say.

mojo sends

[bobby isosceles (from livejournal.com)]

A war that would he Phyrric at best, and is practically unwinnable with the overextended military we have.

SOLUTION!

Offer prisoners all over the U.S., in lockdown, the opportunity for promised clemency if they serve their nation!

Send them on an assault against a country that will decimate them on unfamiliar terrain!

Congratulations, Comrade Stalin! You've just solved prison overpopulation AND achieved your military objective through sheer attrition!

BONUS: Renege on the promise to those who survive! Buffalo Soldier!

[hepkitten.livejournal.com]

ur killin me over here. HOW MANY OTHER FAILED POLICY MOVES CAN WE PUT IN THIS NEW PROPOSED PLAN!!! lollin

[bobby isosceles (from livejournal.com)]

SOLVE THE MORTAGAGE CRISIS BY GIVING "STIMULUS PACKAGE LOANS" TO EACH MORTGAGEE BY THE HIPPEIS^H^H^H^H^H^H^H BANKS AND REQUIRING THAT EVERY INFANTRY SOLDIER PAY IT BACK! THIS PAYBACK INCOME COMES SOLELY FROM PLUNDER!

THEN MAINTAIN A LOYAL SALARIED "PRAETORIAN GUARD"^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H THEN HIRE BLACKWATER AND KBR TO PREVENT A "BONUS ARMY" FROM MARCHING ON THE GOVERNMENT WHENEVER THEY ARE UNABLE TO PAY THESE LOANS BACK!

ANY BASEBALL PLAYERS CAUGHT USING STEROIDS WILL BE FORCIBLY DRAFTED ("HABEAS CORPUS" ONLY APPLIES WHEN THE "CORPUS" IS NOT "AUGMENTUS" BY "STEREOIDUM") AND SENT OVER!

[hepkitten.livejournal.com]

i. am. dying. lolling. i demand you post this in a post so that i may repost.

[bobby isosceles (from livejournal.com)]

mang i ain't got no LJ no mo. It's all on you to c/p LOLOLOL

[hepkitten.livejournal.com]

also ^W

[dossy.livejournal.com]

War-starting? Nonsense. The USD is so volatile and undervalued that continuing to trade in it is unnecessary risk.

Perhaps it won't be long before:

1) We eliminate the stupid penny and nickel as US currency. I mean, hell, the melt value of a nickel (http://www.coinflation.com/) is worth more than the currency itself. The US federal reserve bank _loses_ money minting pennies and nickels--nice.

2) We seriously consider something whacky, like the Amero (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amero).

In short: America, fuck yeah!

[fweebles.livejournal.com]

http://www.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUSBLA02024820080430

To 1), sure. That's not really related to the volatility of the US dollar, but inflation means that probably makes sense. People bring up the idea of getting rid of the penny (but not the nickel) in Canada every few years, even as recently as a few months ago.

2) Theoretically great in the way that communism is theoretically great. Canadians get grumpy about this suggestion, because the fact that there's 10 times as many of you as there are of us means we're basically signing away our foreign currency policy. And tying Mexico to the US dollar is just...well, NAFTA caused enough problems in the US-Mexico axis, having a unified currency definitely wouldn't be improving on that issue.

So, it'd be nice, but I don't see it happening. (I do note that you branded it as 'whacky', which is probably about right.)

[perich.livejournal.com]

"If soldiers are not to cross international boundaries on missions of war, goods must cross them on missions of peace." - Otto Mallery

[switchstatement.livejournal.com]

if more news sites reported this, they'd have less room to cover paula abdul's HILARIOUS GAFFE on their front page.

[mcpino.livejournal.com]

Stop talking about more war when I'm busy agonizing over Miley Cyrus' Vanity Fair photos.

[hotelsamurai.livejournal.com]

war-starter move.

Really? Ya think? (Not sarcasm; sincere inquiry) Can you cite a precedent?

[mcfnord.livejournal.com]

um

[flipzagging.livejournal.com]

It isn't good for the USA, but how does going to war solve this problem?

"USE OUR CURRENCY, SMOKING HOLE IN THE GROUND! also produce more oil lololol"

[snuh.livejournal.com]

Iraq, under Saddam, was the first to switch from the Dollar to the Euro. I was under the impression that Iran had already done so, then North Korea and Venezuela followed suit. I find it interesting that the countries Shrub labeled the Axis Of Evil are the ones changing to Euros for trading.

Now there's talk that OPEC is thinking of switching, which would be devastating. I believe if OPEC was a country, their GNP totals would land them in the top five.