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Monday, July 19, 2004

Breaking News

Just in from Reuters:

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Oil field services company Halliburton Co. said on Monday its Cayman Islands unit with operations in Iran had received a subpoena from a grand jury earlier this month.

"In July 2004, Halliburton received from an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas a grand jury subpoena requesting the production of documents. We intend to cooperate with the government's investigation," Halliburton said in a filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Halliburton, formerly headed by Vice President Dick Cheney, has been cooperating since 2001 with the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control in an inquiry into its operations in Iran....

... U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg, a Democrat, said the probe into possible sanctions violations should address the role of the Republican vice president.

"The question must be asked: did this possible violation occur between 1995 and 2000 while Dick Cheney was the CEO of Halliburton?" Lautenberg said in a statement released by his office.

Halliburton said its Cayman Islands subsidiary, Halliburton Products & Services Limited, has its headquarters in Dubai and is active only in Iran, where it provides a range of services to the state-run Iranian National Oil Company (NIOC).

Members of Lautenberg's staff said his office has passed to the Treasury Department some documents that had been sent by NIOC's British arm, Kala, to Halliburton's subsidiary in 1997 and 1998 seeking bids for oil services work in Iran.

More as it develops. One thing, though. Given that Iran is seemingly next on the hit list, it's a good thing that Halliburton has laid the groundwork with the locals. That way, when awarded another no-bid contract, they'll already be ahead of the game.

[Update]

Iran is definitely on the rise as a target in the WOT. Consider if you will, Exhibit A from today's edition of the right-leaning Jerusalem Post:

Iran is the leading supporter of terrorism around the world, and the rogue state is clearly working on nuclear weapons, US Senator Sam Brownback (Republican- Kansas) said Monday in Jerusalem.

"The war for western civilization is being fought in Baghdad, Kabul, and Jerusalem," Brownback said in a forceful address at the Knesset's Christian Allies Caucus.

"This global war on terrorism is our common objective, and peace and reconciliation our goal," he added.

Urging the world to identify and then expose evil, the Kansas senator went on to call on Syria, Iran, Sudan, and North Korea to renounce terrorism, signaling out Iran as the epicenter of international terrorist funding.

A decision on how to deal with Iran will not be made until after the US elections in November, the Kansas Senator said, noting that America is awaiting the findings of the International Atomic Energy Agency on Iran's nuclear activity.

1 comments: to “ Breaking News

  • Anonymous
    July 19, 2004 6:30 PM  

    The epicenter of terrorism ?

    According to Khalilzad it was Afghanistan
    According to Chalabi it was Irak
    According to Richard Perle is is Saudi Arabia
    According to Michael Ledeen is is Iran
    According to Pakistani emigrates it is Pakistan
    According to some "experts" it is Uzbekhistan

    Anybody else has a brilliant idea ?

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