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Oman

August 21, 2026

Muscat 1:54 pm

33°C

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Caught in the middle, Oman shrugs off Trump's latest Iran threat

For the second time in months, President Donald Trump has threatened to strike the US partner as it holds talks with Iran.

His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik pays a private fraternal visit to the United Arab Emirates, where he held a meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the UAE, at Al Shati Palace in Abu Dhabi, on Aug. 17, 2026.

Sultan of Oman meets UAE's MBZ as Iran-Hormuz talks advance

The talks come as Oman is in the midst of negotiations with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz.

Ships are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz on Aug. 10, 2026, off the coast of Bandar Abbas, Iran.

Iran says understanding reached with Oman over new Hormuz route map

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran on Monday that “an understanding has been reached regarding the map of the transit route.”

Latest News

Trump threatens to bomb Oman if it 'gets in the way' of US-Iran deal

US President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the David S. Mack Center for Training and Intelligence on Aug. 14, 2026 in Garden City, New York.

Oil spills off Oman, Iran's Qeshm Island reap environmental havoc amid war

A photograph obtained from the Iranian Students’ News Agency shows an oil slick along the southern coast of Qeshm Island, Iran, August 13, 2026.

Explainer

Iran-Oman deal spurs Hormuz hopes as Red Sea threats evolve

Khaled ZIAD / AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

The emerging Iran-Oman Hormuz deal: What's at stake?

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (2nd L), Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (2nd R) and Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi (R) walk inside a building in Muscat, Oman, on June 22, 2026.

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Karen Young

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional energy

Jennifer Gnana event

Al-Monitor expands Gulf coverage with new talent led by Jennifer Gnana

Preparations for 44.01's first project in UAE are well underway. This DAC + mineralisation pilot with ADNOCGroup , Masdar and FNRC will be the first carbon negative project by an energy company in the Middle East.

Analysis

Oman’s sleepy tech sector showing signs of promise

Global investors are putting millions into an Omani carbon removal startup, signaling a breakthrough for a market that has lagged behind Gulf neighbors targeting tech growth.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Men wearing thawbs walk past a billboard promoting the transition to renewable energies at the UNFCCC COP28 Climate Conference the day before its official opening on November 29, 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The COP28 is bringing together stakeholders, including international heads of state and other leaders, scientists, environmentalists, indigenous peoples representatives, activists and others to discuss and agree on the implementation of global measures towards mitigating the effects of climate c

GCC’s renewable energy push pays off with Qatar, UAE taking lead

Several Gulf states rank relatively high on the World Economic Forum (WEF) Energy Transition Index, reflecting their efforts to transition toward renewable energy and reduce their dependence on fossil fuels.

Analysis

What’s behind Islamic State’s first attack in Oman?

ISIS has not affected Oman as much as it has other Gulf countries, in part due to the sultanate’s strong security and lack of radicalism, according to one expert.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Ground crews prepare an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, powering one of its engines with a hundred per cent Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), for a demonstration flight at the Dubai International Airport in Dubai, on January 30, 2023. - Emirates said it successfully flew a Boeing 777 powered by sustainable aviation fuel today, as the Middle East's largest airline aims to halve its jet fuel consumption. The Dubai-based carrier has used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) since 2017, but said its test flight w

Are GCC states prepared for net zero in aviation?

Kate Dourian

In Dubai, reporting on energy

Omani energy minister

Interview

Oman to phase out polluting industries 'too difficult to decarbonize'

Omani Minister of Energy and Minerals Salim Al Aufi told Al-Monitor that if his government finds an industry too difficult or costly to decarbonize, there will be discussions taking place about phasing the sector out all together.

Salim Al Aufi

Salim Al Aufi

Oman Minister of Energy and Minerals

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) shakes hand with Deputy Prime Minister of Oman Sayyid Asaad ahead of the G20 Leaders' Summit in New Delhi on September 9, 2023. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

As it seeks to rival China and Pakistan, India sets its sights on Oman trade deal

The agreement could serve as a "strategic lever" for New Delhi to expand its influence in the Middle East.

An aerial view shows the Central Business District (Ruwi) in the Omani capital Muscat on April 9, 2021. (Photo by Haitham AL-SHUKAIRI / AFP) (Photo by HAITHAM AL-SHUKAIRI/AFP via Getty Images)

Sovereign fund-led economy: Oman takes a page from Saudi Arabia

Sebastian Castelier

Sebastian Castelier

In Dubai, reporting on regional business

(L to R) EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell shakes hands with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud during a plenary session titled "Transforming for a New Era", during the Doha Forum in Qatar's capital on March 26, 2022. (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR / AFP) (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images)

What does EU visa relaxation for Saudi, Bahraini, Omani citizens mean?

Under the new rules, Bahraini, Omani and Saudi Arabian nationals will be eligible for multiple-entry visas, allowing them to visit the Schengen area (the EU’s 27 member states as well as Bulgaria and Romania) and move freely between them.

A man walks past a stranded car on a flooded street in Dubai following heavy rains on April 18, 2024.

Dubai's record rainfall spotlights Gulf’s troubled relation with water

The Gulf’s longterm love–hate relationship with water lies behind a year and a half's worth of rain that fell on Dubai in 24 hours. It includes climate change-induced shifting rainfall patterns, groundwater extractions and unsustainable consumption.

United Arab Emirates

This photograph taken on Sept. 22, 2022, shows logos of TotalEnergies.

Oman LNG deal spree continues with France's TotalEnergies

The French energy major is also working on the Marsa project in Oman, which it claims is the first LNG bunkering hub in the Middle East.

HAITHAM AL-SHUKAIRI/AFP via Getty Images

Oman launches $5 billion 'Future Fund' in sign of economic progress

Oman’s economy is improving by some metrics as the Gulf state seeks to diversify.