The latest from the Persian Gulf

There are conflicting narratives, even non-narratives.

Here is one.

P.S. I consider it a real probability that the US neocons will decide to fight this war with Israel and their Sunni Arab allies despite the whole world saying NO!

https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-iran-bahrain-idUKKCN1SO0BJ?fbclid=IwAR1JvEhXu1PuqTsnuo3U88W6xenqDyHAWlCDPSD9hu_ZWZVl49jSZtMiFqo

https://apnews.com/dd56652fae6247c0944edd4d0c5516c3

Saudi-led Gulf states approve deployment of US troops in the Gulf region

Hal Turner,

18 May, 2019

Saudi-led Gulf states voted today to approve deployment of US troops in the Gulf region.  Reports coming in from Arab media in the last hour that Saudi Arabia and Gulf states have agreed to a US request to redeploy troops in Gulf waters and on land.

MORE 8:42 PM EDT -- The re-deployment request was similar in nature to the number of troops sent before Operation Desert Storm (Iraq) 1991.   At that time, the US sent 168,000 total US troops.

Today's action allegedly calls for 210,000 US troops and an undisclosed number of "allied" troops.

This is a massive move by the US and its Gulf partners.

I cannot help but notice that the leadership of Iran wear glasses.  I suggest they get a new eyeglass prescription immediately because they obviously cannot see the unimaginable military steam roller moving in their direction.

More to follow. Check back.  

Hal Turner is reporting that "there is VERY high military activity all over the Persian Gulf this morning. Elements from the US and other countries have numerous air assets active and Iran has numerous air assets active.  Iran also has intense ground activity around surface-to-air,  surface-to-ship, and surface-to-surface missile sites throughout their country. "

5:33 AM EDT -- Exxon Mobil staff are currently being evacuated from Qurna I field in Basra, Iraq.

5:52 AM EDT -- Civilian air traffic over the Persian Gulf has been warned by the US to be extremely cautious and be ready to make sudden evac.  MOST (but not all) civilian aircraft seem to be keeping a 50 mile distance from the coastline of Iran, favoring a more westerly route closer to Saudi Arabia as seen on the radar map below: 

8:05 AM EDT -- Exxon Mobil has evacuated all its foreign staff members out of Iraq's West Qurna 1 oilfield and is flying them out to Dubai

Sources in the Iraqi Ministry of Oil: Production of the West Qurna field in Basra was not affected by the departure of Exxon Mobil employees

US diplomats warned Saturday that commercial airliners flying over the wider Persian Gulf faced a risk of being "misidentified" amid heightened tensions between the US and Iran it also said aircraft could experience interference with its navigation instruments and communications jamming “with little to no warning."

9:06 AM EDT -- Bahraini Foreign Minister warns citizens not to travel to Iraq and Iran because of the unstable situation.

Bahrain asks its citizens in Iran and Iraq to leave immediately.

UPDATE: Sky News Arabia Correspondent quotes an Iraqi source familiar with the situation: Embassies of several foreign countries may follow the step of Washington and the evacuation of non-essential staff from Iraq.

***FLASH***

Threat DANGER is reported by US INTEL as quote "off the scale." 

*** BULLETIN ***

U.S. FAA ISSUES GLOBAL WARNING OF MILITARY ACTIVITY IN PERSIAN GULF AIRSPACE

The Federal Aviation Administration had issued a warning to US commercial airliners flying over the Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman, warning "heightened military activities & increased political tensions in the region present an increasing inadvertent risk to US civil aviation...“

 9:15 AM EDT -- Reports of large numbers of Iranian republican guard casualties in last nights Israeli attack in Syria.

9:23 AM EDT -- BAHRAIN FOREIGN MINISTER WARNS OF "CRITICAL AND DANGEROUS DEVELOPMENTS UNFOLDING IN THE REGION"

11:35 AM EDT -- Dozens of Iranian families, some of them officials, entered Iraq during the past two days and settled in Kadhimiya and Karbala in anticipation of a possible US strike.

12:27 PM EDT -- U.S. BEGINS DEPLOYMENT OF ***GROUND TROOPS *** TO SAUDI ARABIA 

2:29 PM EDT -- BAHRAIN ISSUES ANOTHER STATEMENT TALKING OF VERY GRAVE DEVELOPMENTS TODAY IN THE REGION

2:30 PM EDT -- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called urgent meetings (rare on a Saturday) with key US politicians and officials. They are being referred to as crisis meetings. Further meetings hurriedly being coordinated with international allies for later today.

KUWAIT MOVING TO "FULL WAR FOOTING" AFTER BRIEFING BY US OFFICIALS

From yesterday - 

UPDATED 2:47 PM EDT   SEE BOTTOM -- This is BREAKING NEWS as of 9:03 AM eastern US time on Friday, 17 May 2019 -- The Kuwaiti national security council have just had an emergency meeting after briefing by US officials.

They are publicly saying "the hours and days ahead are perilous and that the risk of regional war is unacceptably high."

They are moving to a full war footing within Kuwait, to support the USA and allies against Iran.

The current situation in the region due to rising tensions between the US and Iran, is “perilous”, head of the Kuwaiti parliament Marzouq Al Ghanem said following a crisis meeting with government officials.

He added that the government confirmed readiness to handle emergencies “in case of the eruption of a war” in the region.

Ministers of foreign affairs, trade, electricity and information explained their contingency plans at the meeting held behind closed doors.

“According to the detailed explanation given by the ministers, it has become clear how delicate, sensitive and dangerous the stage ahead and the necessity of taking all measures for all possibilities,” Al Ghanem said.

“At the foreign front, the situation is not assuring,” he added.

In recent days, tensions have mounted in the Gulf after four vessels were sabotaged off the eastern cost of the United Arab Emirates and Iran-allied Houthi militants in Yemen claimed responsibility for a drone attack on vital oil installations in Saudi Arabia.

UPDATE 9:09 AM EDT --  

RISK OF REGIONAL WAR IS VERY HIGH AND VERY ALARMING - KUWAITI STATEMENT TO THE PRESS

UPDATE 9:17 AM EDT --

SITUATION IS ALARMING AND SPIRALLING OUT OF CONTROL - KUWAITI GOVERNMENT STATEMENT

UPDATE 9:22 AM EDT --

WE ARE EXPECTING WAR IN THE GULF - KUWAITI GOVERNMENT PRESS STATEMENT

UPDATE 2:47 PM EDT --

"War against Iran will lead to World War III. Any attack on Iran would mean the elimination of Israel within half an hour."  - Being broadcast on Iran media outlets now . . .

The war against Iran will pave the way for a third world war, and any attack on Iran would mean the destruction of Israel within half an hour," said Mujtaba al-Nur, head of Iran's nuclear committee.

He pointed out that the United States can start the war, but the end will not be in her hand, pointing out that the US military targets in the waters of the Gulf will remain only a "hill of ash," noting that "before the dust settles, any attack on Iran, Iranian missiles will "hit the heart of Tel Aviv."

US AIRLINERS TO FALL OVER IRAN!! DONALD TRUMP PREPARES CONGRESS FOR WAR!!

144F in Kuwait burns bushes and trees

62C=144F

In Kuwait temperature reaches 62 degrees

Front News,

5 August, 2017

Kuwait: In Kuwait, the air temperature in some places reached 62 degrees Celsius in an open area where there is no shadow.

Users of social networks share videos of burning trees, bushes, and also note that because of the heat, gasoline in the car tanks exploded.

Kuwait just owns a world record for temperature indicators - in the town of Mithribach in the north-west of the country on July 21, 2016, the highest temperature in the history of meteorological observations on our planet was recorded. The heat in the shade here reached plus 54 degrees Celsius.

World record data submitted by Kuwaiti meteorologists have been adopted and officially confirmed by the World Meteorological Organization (AMO).

Extreme heat in Kuwait

It Is So Hot In Kuwait, A Truck Literally Sank Into The Melting Ground

Carbonated,

10 July, 2017

If you don’t believe in global warming, you might want to watch this video of a truck’s tire sinking into the concrete road that was melting because of the heat.

Mohamed Hemish‏ @MohamedHemish

A truck "sinks" in a street's asphalt in Kuwait as temperatures reach records high in Arab gulf region #SaudiArabia

 #HayatFm حياة أف أم

8:31 AM - 5 Jul 2017

A video making rounds on internet shows a truck’s tire sinking in the road that was melting because of the heat.

Yes, you read that right. A concrete road melting.

The incident reportedly took place near a supermarket in Al Dahiya, Kuwait.

Extreme heat has choked Kuwait, with temperatures soaring above 104°F. The heat intensified earlier this week when the temperature reportedly hit 120°F.

According to the Kuwait Times, power consumption rates in the country soared high with record-levels of 13,440 megawatts due to the heat wave.

According to Al Arabiya, Kuwait's municipality decided to introduce evening burials and funeral prayers until September, owing to the extreme weather conditions.

"The measure is part of the municipality's keenness on easing the process for the relatives of the deceased and for the mourners attending the funeral," said Faisal Al Awadhi, head of the funeral affairs department at the municipality.

The video of a truck’s rear wheel descending in the melting ground because of the extreme high temperature is an eye opening look at how bad the heat is in the Middle Eastern country right now.

Laurie Garrett‏Verified account @Laurie_Garrett

Laurie Garrett Retweeted Mohamed Hemish

Kuwait so hot the pavement melts

Laurie Garrett added,

0:20

Mohamed Hemish @MohamedHemish

A truck "sinks" in a street's asphalt in Kuwait as temperatures reach records high in Arab gulf region #SaudiArabia

8:55 AM - 5 Jul 2017

flânerie féminine‏ @zurichvienna

A colleague, describing the current heat in Kuwait: "It's not hot - it's hell!"

8:08 PM - 30 Jun 2016

Al Arabiya English‏Verified account @AlArabiya_Eng

WATCH: Truck MELTS into road as #Kuwait swelters in extreme heat http://ara.tv/nvth6 

10:00 AM - 6 Jul 2017

Earlier in 2016, the world’s hottest day was recorded in Kuwait with maximum temperatures hitting 129°F in the southern city of Basra.

A 2016 study led by NASA revealed the Middle East experienced the worst drought in 900 years due to climate change that year. Probable extreme weather conditions caused by adverse effects of climate change could make parts of the Middle East and North Africa uninhabitable by the end of the current century.

Hottest temperatures measured outside Death Valley - measured in Kuwait

Eastern Hemisphere's All-Time Temperature Record: Kuwait Fries in 54°C (129.2°F) Heat

By: Jeff Masters

Wunderground,

22 July, 2016

It was a historic day in the annals of meteorology on Thursday, July 21, 2016 in the Middle East, where the temperature in Mitribah, Kuwait soared to an astonishing 54°C (129.2°F). 

If verified, this would be Earth's hottest temperature ever reliably measured outside of Death Valley, California, according to wunderground's weather historian Christopher C. Burt. The temperature is likely to be verified, since Thursday's incredible heat also extended into Iraq, which set their all-time heat record: 128°F (53.4°C) at Basrah. 

According to Burt and Herrera, Thursday's Basrah reading ranks as the fourth highest temperature ever reliably measured outside of Death Valley; the only higher non-Death Valley temperatures were today's 54°C (129.2°F) at Mitribah, Kuwait, a 53.6°C reading at Sulaibya, Kuwait in 2011, and a 53.5°C reading at Mohenjodaro, Pakistan on May 26, 2010. 

Note that there is one other competitor for hottest non-Death Valley temperature ever measured: the official all-time high temperature in Israel is a 54°C (129.2°F) reading from Tirat Tsvi, Israel on June 22, 1942. The Israeli Met Office pursued an investigation of the record in 2012, prompted by an inquiry from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and convincing evidence from wunderground's weather historian Christopher C. Burt and weather extremes expert Howard Rainford that the actual high temperature was a full degree lower. 

The Israeli Met Office concluded that the record was valid, but refused to make public the details leading to their conclusions. Until they do so, the record remains suspect.

Figure 1. A photograph of the official Furnace Creek, Death Valley maximum recording thermometer at time of observation on Monday morning July 1, 2013 (which was for the maximum temperature measured on June 30). The photo shows a maximum of 129.2°F was reached, tying it with the 129.2°F reading at Mitribah, Kuwait, on July 21, 2016, for the highest reliably measured temperature on Earth, according to wunderground's weather historian Christopher C. Burt. Observations at the site are made only at 4 p.m. and 7 a.m. daily. The shelter door is not opened at any other time in order to not affect the ambient air temperature inside the shelter. You may have seen a different image of this same thermometer on the NWS-Las Vegas web site posted July 1, 2013 that shows the temperature just shy of 129°. That is because THAT photograph was taken after the thermometer had been removed from its shelter and turned vertically, which caused the mercury to slip down the tube about 0.3°F. This photograph was taken prior to the thermometer being removed from the shelter. Photo courtesy of Death Valley National Park and NWS-Las Vegas.

Comparison with Death Valley temperatures

The official world record high temperature is 56.7 °C (134.1 °F) on July 10, 1913, in Furnace Creek Ranch, California, in Death Valley. Mr. Burt has commented "the record has been scrutinized perhaps more than any other in the United States. I don't have much more to add to the debate aside from my belief it is most likely not a valid reading when one looks at all the evidence." He proposes that the highest reliably recorded temperature at Death Valley is a 54.0 °C (129.2 °F) reading on June 30, 2013--tied with Thursday's measurement in Kuwait. The 129.2°F value at Death Valley was rounded down to 129°F in the official record, though. Death Valley has also recorded 53.9°C (129°F) four times: July 20, 1960, July 18, 1998, July 20, 2005, July 7, 2007. There is no evidence that the temperature reached 129.2°F on those dates, unlike the reading on June 30, 2013.

The Middle East's heat wave continues on Friday

The Middle East's astonishing heat wave will last one more day. Friday's high in Basrah, Iraq is predicted to hit 128°F and Mitribah, Kuwait is predicted to hit 127°F. Gotvand, Iran is predicted to hit 126°F--very close to Iran's all-time heat record of 127.4°F, set most recently at Gotvand on July 17, 2014. On Saturday, the ridge of high pressure bringing the record heat will weaken, bringing temperatures about 10°F cooler to Iraq and Kuwait, and about 2 - 4°F cooler to Iran.

UPDATE: On Friday, July 22, 2016, Basrah, Iraq International Airport reported a high temperature of 53.9°C (129°F). Today's high in Basrah is the second highest reliably measured temperature in world recorded history outside of Death Valley, California. Only yesterday's 54°C (129.2°F) at Mitribah, Kuwait was hotter.

Mr. Burt plans to post an in-depth look at the new heat records in a forthcoming post.

I'll have an update on the tropics on Friday afternoon.

Jeff Masters

Kuwait covering up a coup attemt

Kuwait orders media blackout on 'coup' video

Kuwait has ordered a news blackout on a videotape allegedly showing former senior officials plotting to overthrow the oil-rich Gulf state's government

al Jazeera,

11 April, 2014

. State news agency KUNA reported on Thursday that the country's royal court had ordered that an investigation be carried out in secret. "The attorney general has ordered that the investigation in this case should be confidential and ordered a ban on the publication of any news on the case in all media," including social networks and the Internet, attorney general Dherar Al-Asousi, was quoted as saying by KUNA. The attorney general said his office was conducting "a probe into reports indicating the existence of a tape containing information and data implicating some people in plotting to overthrow the regime and undermine the authority of  the emir." Asousi said the ban was necessary because the issue "grossly harms national interests and national unity" as well as the investigation itself. The appeal came after Sheikh Ahmad Fahad Al Sabah, a senior member of the royal family and former minister, was questioned by the public prosecutor for five hours about the tape, which he said he had handed over to Kuwait’s leaders. Fahad Al Sabah said he told the prosecutor he had a videotape dealing with financial and political matters as well as the ruling family and regional issues. Conspiracy On Wednesday, the royal court urged Kuwaitis "to avoid debating the issue and leave it to the public prosecution to take the necessary measures."  The AFP news agency reported that MP Ali al-Rashed asked Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah if the video included a plot to overthrow the regime and requested the names of the people involved in any conspiracy. A number of MPs and the opposition called for an immediate investigation into the issue and demanded that the government reveal the contents of the video. Since 2006, the Gulf state has been rocked by a series of political disputes between parliamentarians and the government over preferential treatment to  ruling family members.