Note the article disclaims that these satellite measurements are surface temperatures (the ground itself), where other instruments measure air temperature. Wiki

Note the article disclaims that these satellite measurements are surface temperatures (the ground itself), where other instruments measure air temperature. Wikipedia describes that Iran desert as a "large plateau covered in dark lava" [0], so I imagine it's analogous to how hot asphalt roads get, rather than the meteorological temperature. edit: The wiki article references this paper [1]: The satellite-based land surface temperature (LST) measures the radiation emitted by the top of the land surface (i.e., radiometric LST) and can be likened to skin temperature, or the temperature a person would feel if touching the land surface. It measures directly where the highest temperatures on Earth’s surface manifest, on the ground. By comparison, standard weather station air temperature is measured 1.5 m above the ground level with sensors protected from radiation and adequately ventilated. Because air is such a poor heat conductor, the radiometric LST in midsummer can be 30°–50°C higher than the air temperature. Imagine the searing heat of beach sand (i.e., LST) on a hot summer day, when standing in shade or water is the only way to avoid burning your feet, compared to the air temperature 1.5 m above the sand. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dasht-e_Lut https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dasht-e_Lut [1] http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/pdf/10.1175/2011BAMS3067.1 http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/pdf/10.1175/2011BAMS3067.1