time to revisit oilers

Agence France Presse 9/12/2006 -

Saudi King Abdullah opened the annual summit of Gulf leaders with a warning that the Arab world was on the brink of exploding because of the conflicts in the Palestinian territories, Iraq and Lebanon. “Our Arab region is besieged by a number of dangers, as if it was a powder keg waiting for a spark to explode,” he told the rulers of the oil-rich monarchies gathered in Riyadh for a two-day meeting to the backdrop of mounting sectarian violence in neighbouring Iraq.


The Middle-Eastern adviser tells us that the King’s use of the phrase ‘powder keg’ is very serious indeed.

US 'to park carrier off Iran'By staff writers and wires

December 19, 2006 11:01am

THE US is planning to position an aircraft carrier battle group in the Persian Gulf within months as a warning to Iran, according to reports.

CBS News said the Pentagon was deploying "a major buildup of naval forces in and around the Persian Gulf" in response to what the US considers "increasingly provocative acts".

The network noted Iranian naval exercises, support of Shiite militias in Iraq and its enrichment of nuclear fuel as reasons for US concern.

The network stressed, however, that the US does not intend to attack Iran but rather, "discourage its leaders from spreading their Shiite revolution."