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Oman

October 7, 2025

Muscat 8:35 pm

29°C

Analysis

As Carrefour retreats in Mideast, can new Gulf superstore brand advance?

Amid rising competition and consumer boycotts of Western companies, UAE-based Majid Al Futtaim has begun pulling French retailer Carrefour from Middle East markets and rebranding outlets under a new name: HyperMax.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Guests attend a policy dialogue on Embracing Emerging Opportunities in times of Economic Uncertainty during the 10th Belt and Road Summit in Hong Kong, China, Sept. 10, 2025.

Hong Kong inks agreements with Gulf partners at BRI Summit

Some 36 business agreements covering finance, technology, logistics, professional services and education were set to be signed at the event.

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Gulf rail boom rumbles on as 2030 deadline for regional network nears

From 100 million metro riders in Riyadh to a new Oman-UAE railway, Gulf states are pouring money into train transport — but plans for a regional rail network are still taking shape.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

From Kuwait to Turkey, why are countries cracking down on Roblox?

The fast-growing gaming platform has been banned in countries including China, Iran, Oman, Qatar, and Turkey.

Latest News

Chinese company to build Oman's first green hydrogen plant: What to know

Jens Schlueter/Getty Images

Oman launches $200M clean energy fund with China’s Templewater

Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Analysis

Gulf growth forecast bright but Israel-Iran war threatens to derail outlook

A view of the Dubai skyline, May 12, 2025.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Sebastian Castelier

In Dubai, reporting on regional business

Jennifer Gnana

Gulf Correspondent

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

Kate Dourian

In Dubai, reporting on energy

Karen Young

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional energy

Soldiers loyal to Yemen's government and members of an engineering team stand next to destroyed transmission towers during a search for landmines left by the Houthi rebels in the Mas area, which was taken by pro-government army from the Houthis, in the country's central province of Marib, December 26, 2015. REUTERS/Ali Owidha - RTX203Z5

Can Oman help Saudis save face in Yemen?

Oman, the only GCC country that did not join the Saudi coalition fighting in Yemen, could help the Saudis negotiate peace there.

Iran's head of the country's Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi attends a seminar at the Japan Institute of International Affairs in Tokyo, Japan, November 5, 2015. Iran has begun shutting down uranium enrichment centrifuges under the terms of a deal struck with six world powers in July on limiting its nuclear programme, Tehran's atomic energy chief said on November 2, 2015 during a visit to Tokyo. REUTERS/Yuya Shino - RTX1UTJP

Salehi reveals new details of secret US, Iran back channel

In an extensive interview, Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran's atomic chief and former foreign minister, reveals new details of the secret back channel to the United States.

Iran's military bulks up with new Russian tanks

Tehran plans to purchase T-90 tanks from Russia, but is it enough to strengthen the Iranian military?

Oman looks East

As Oman practices diplomacy in the Middle East, it also is strengthening ties with China as a potential long-term partner.

U.S. President Barack Obama meets with Saudi Arabia's King Salman (R) at Erga Palace in Riyadh, January 27, 2015. Obama is stopping in Saudi Arabia on his way back to Washington from India to pay his condolences over the death of King Abdullah and to hold bilateral meetings with King Salman. REUTERS/Jim Bourg (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: POLITICS ROYALS) - RTR4N551

What Obama should say to King Salman during his visit

The inaugural visit of Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud to Washington offers US President Barack Obama a unique opportunity to address the long-standing tensions and rivalry between Iran, Iraq and the GCC states.

Oman’s diplomatic bridge to Syria

By inviting Syria’s foreign minister to Muscat, Oman has signaled its interest in contributing to the resolution of Syria’s civil war.

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (L) welcomes Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif before a meeting in Damascus January 15, 2014, in this handout released by Syria's national news agency SANA. REUTERS/SANA/Handout via Reuters (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS PICTURE WAS PROCESSED BY REUTERS TO ENHANCE QUALITY. AN UNPROCESSED VERSION W

Zarif presses diplomacy on Syria

Iran brokers humanitarian cease-fires in Syria; Yair Lapid discusses “dreadful gamble” in US-Israel relations; Turkey’s Stone Age temple may predate Stonehenge and Egyptian pyramids by thousands of years.

A helicopter from the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) hovers over an Iranian patrol ship during a transit through the Strait of Hormuz, February 14, 2012. REUTERS/Jumana El Heloueh (GULF - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - RTR2XU5R

How security in Strait of Hormuz brings US, Iran closer

Gulf and international security are closely linked to the security of the Strait of Hormuz, which is currently facing many challenges that require a joint action between all affected countries.

Saudi National Guard Minister Mutaib bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz (R) meets Britain's Prince Charles in Riyadh February 17, 2014. REUTERS/Fayez Nureldine/Pool (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: POLITICS ROYALS) - RTX190B1

What's ahead for Saudi Arabia?

Saudi's King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud has made a number of crucial changes during his first months in power, from taking military and policy risks to a reshuffling of parliament.

Oman's Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah (C) arrives to attend the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 30, 2015. Leaders from the GCC group of countries arrive in Saudi Arabia to discuss the ongoing conflict in neighbouring Yemen, Iran's nuclear programme and prepare for a summit with U.S. President Barack Obama next month. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser - RTX1AZJK

Oman breaks from GCC on Yemen conflict

Oman sees Saudi Arabia's strategy in Yemen as misguided and dangerous for the Gulf region.

Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said (R) walks with Iran's President Hassan Rouhani upon Rouhani's arrival in Muscat March 12, 2014. REUTERS/Sultan Al Hasani (OMAN - Tags: POLITICS ROYALS) - RTR3GQAH

After Qaboos, who will be Oman's next sultan?

Now that Saudi Arabia has seen its succession through, attention has moved to who will succeed Oman's Sultan Qaboos, who has been in Munich since the summer for unspecified health reasons.

A view of Petroleum Development of Oman (PDO) near Muscat June 5, 2010. Cyclone Phet, despite weakening to a Category 1 storm, pummelled Oman's coastline on Friday, killing two and halting the small oil-producing country's oil and gas production, officials and state media said. REUTERS/Fahad Shadeed (OMAN - Tags: ENVIRONMENT DISASTER BUSINESS ENERGY) - RTR2ESBN

Will oil price drop weaken Qaboos?

It will be a challenge for the government to keep its commitments to Omanis while sliding oil prices hinder its ability to increase government services in times of unrest, a crucial lifeline for the monarchy since the Arab Spring.