From Watts Up With That?

COP27 Awkward: John Kerry Shaking Hands with Accused Narco-Terrorist Venezuelan dictator Nicholas Madurro. Madurro has a Justice Department Bounty of $15 million. Source Daily Mail, Fair Use, Low Resolution Image to Identify the Subject.

Essay by Eric Worrall

How far will the Biden administration be prepared to go, to secure access to Iranian Lithium?

Huge lithium discovery could end world shortages … Oh, wait, it’s in Iran

Batteries are one thing, no one tell Tehran about Li-6, OK?

Thomas Claburn 
Sat 4 Mar 2023  // 12:03 UTC 

Lithium, sometimes hyped as white gold, has been highly sought after for its role in battery production, and other things.

Global demand is expected to continue to outstrip supply in the years to come. Albemarle Corporation projects [PDF] lithium demand will rise from 1.8 million metric tons in 2025 to 3.7 million metric tons in 2030 largely due to its role in electric vehicles and other battery dependent devices.

…

According to The Financial Tribune, an English language news publication focused on Iran that’s operated by Tehran-based Donya-e-Eqtesad, Ebrahim Ali Molla-Beigi, director general of the Exploration Affairs Office of the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade, said that Iran has discovered its first lithium reserve in Hamedan Province, in the western part of the country.

The reserve is said to be 8.5 million metric tons, which – if accurate – would be among the largest known deposits yet discovered.

…Read more: https://www.theregister.com/2023/03/04/lithium_iran_china_shortage/

In my opinion the Biden administration has already demonstrated his moral flexibility when it comes to pursuing their geopolitical goals, when John Kerry shook the hand of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro at COP27. Maduro has a $15 million DEA bounty on his head, for information leading to his arrest. But Maduro also controls the oil wealth of Venezuela, and the Biden administration at the time was trying to cut a deal to get access to that oil. Biden granted US oil companies permission to start pumping Venezuelan oil in February.

China and Iran have a cosy relationship. If Iran allows China to develop its Lithium deposit, Chinese battery manufacturers will increase their advantage over US manufacturers, which will increase the likelihood Biden’s “Inflation Reduction Act” green programme will fail to deliver on Biden’s promise of more green jobs.

If the Biden admin is willing to shake the hand of and do deals with an accused narco-terrorist, someone whose alleged drug smuggling activities contribute to 10s of thousands of US deaths every year, I doubt Biden will have a problem with doing a Lithium deal with Iran to save his green jobs program, with people who hold regular “Death to America” rallies, people who have made solid progress towards producing weapons grade Uranium for peaceful purposes.