Rachel Maddow explained how the U.S. and Israel’s conflict with Iran is paying off for Russia – Iran’s ally – as the fuel industry tanks globally.
“We now simultaneously have the U.S. intelligence reports that Russia is helping Iran target American personnel and military facilities to kill Americans in the Middle East and the news that Trump is cutting sanctions on Russia to ensure they can sell practically all the oil and gas they want, and refill their financial coffers as a country,” Maddow explained during her breakdown Monday on MS NOW’s “The Rachel Maddow Show.”
The political pundit questioned and analyzed Iran’s ability to find and attack U.S. military installations in the Middle East, including the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, Camp Arifjan and Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait. Maddow’s answer: Russia is giving Iran all the deets.
“The upshot is that Russia is helping Iran. Russia specifically is giving them targeting information, giving them very specific locations using their own intelligence capabilities to give the Iranians very specific locations so they know where to attack and where to attack American facilities in in the Middle East,” Maddow shared, citing multiple reports. “Russia is giving Iran that information.”
And instead of it becoming a point of contention for Trump, who’s long been reported as having a close relationship with Russian president Vladimir Putin, the president has eased sanctions on the European country amid soaring oil prices around the globe.
“Trump has moved to give Russia relief from sanctions. Trump has moved specifically to let Russia sell more of its oil and gas, get around sanctions, restrictions that might have prevented them from doing that before. I mean, Russia is allies with Iran,” Maddow said. “Russia basically has two industries, two things to offer the world: oil and war. And they’re using their war-making abilities, their intelligence and satellite capabilities to help Iran kill Americans, to help Iran target and kill Americans in the Middle East.”
According to The Hill, as a result of the war, oil has reached prices above $100 a barrel, which Trump claimed is a “very small price” for Americans to pay for “safety and peace.” Maddow explains that Russia will only see benefits from the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict, as the limited sanctions in the midst of it all serve as a financial come-up and comeback for Russia, particularly with its ongoing war with Ukraine and as its competitors get buried by skyrocketing fuel prices.
“On the war-fighting side of things for Russia, this is great for them. This is a win-win. And meanwhile, Russia’s other industry, oil and gas, is as happy it’s been a long time time because of the huge spike in oil and gas prices all of over the world,” Maddow said. “As Russia’s oil and gas competitors in the Persian Gulf all basically get knocked offline. If Russia can just sell their oil and gas so they can be allowed to get their oil and gas to market, Russia’s going to be rich again, which they desperately need, given how they’ve spent themselves into oblivion in their endless, pointless Ukraine war.”
On Monday, Trump claimed that the this war will benefit other nations, particularly those that source from the Strait of Hormuz.
“I mean, we’re doing this for the other parts of the world, including countries like China,” Trump told reporters, adding that “i’s the beginning of building a new country,” which may suggest his plans to build a new Iran.
