Category 5 Hurricane Headed for the Middle East....

Powerful cyclone heads to oil-rich Gulf

MUSCAT, Oman - A cyclone expected to be the strongest storm ever recorded in the Arabian Peninsula churned toward the oil-rich Gulf on Tuesday, forcing thousands of residents of Oman's coastal towns to flee their homes.

The storm was expected to lose strength before hitting the most important installations in the Persian Gulf off of Saudi Arabia and southern Iran, but oil analysts said it could delay the loading of tankers in the Gulf — something that could cause a spike in oil prices.

With winds of 160 miles per hour and gusts of 195 miles per hour — the equivalent of a Category Five hurricane — Cyclone Gonu headed northwest through the Indian Ocean toward Oman's east coast, with rain from its outer edges already reaching some areas.

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