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Oman

April 8, 2026

Muscat 6:13 am

23°C

A police speed boat patrols the port as oil tankers and high speed crafts sit anchored at Muscat Anchorage near the Strait of Hormuz on March 30, 2026 in Muscat, Oman.

Analysis

Hostage to Hormuz, can Gulf rewire future energy flows to bypass Iran’s chokepoint?

As the US-Israel-Iran war disrupts around 20% of global oil supply, experts point to opportunities and challenges facing a renewed push to develop alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Jean-Christophe VERHAEGEN / AFP via Getty Images

TotalEnergies reaped more than $1B profit from Iran war: What to know

Non-Middle Eastern energy firms have been particularly benefiting as energy flows have been choked off from the Gulf.

An Emirates passenger plane is landing at Frankfurt Airport from Dubai International on March 3, 2026, in Frankfurt, Germany.

Gulf air corridors reopen cautiously as evacuations take shape

Nearly 1,900 of more than 5,450 flights scheduled to the Middle East were canceled Tuesday, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

United Arab Emirates

Small boats loaded with merchandise sail past the St. Kitt's and Nevis-flagged container ship Marsa Victory in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Khasab in Oman's northern Musandam Peninsula, on June 25, 2025.

Hormuz traffic slows as Iran threatens to set 'ships on fire'

Maritime intelligence company Lloyd’s List reported on Sunday that no traceable passages have been made by major crude tankers through the Strait of Hormuz since Saturday night.

Latest News

Iran warning near Hormuz collides with Red Sea shipping comeback

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

How US-India trade deal could impact Mideast energy, trade routes

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, on Feb. 13, 2025.

Analysis

With central role for Qatar, can Gulf states mediate between US and Venezuela?

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (R) gestures next to Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani (L) during a meeting at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas on November 25, 2015. AFP PHOTO/JUAN BARRETO / AFP / JUAN BARRETO (Photo credit should read JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images)

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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

Analysis

Venezuelan crisis unlikely to impact MENA crude exporters in short term

The Iranian-flagged oil tanker Fortune is docked at the El Palito refinery after its arrival to Puerto Cabello in the northern state of Carabobo, Venezuela, on May 25, 2020.

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

Karen Young

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional energy

Yemen’s Hadi hopes new governor calms Mahra tensions

In the wake of clashes between Saudi forces and local tribesmen in Mahra province, Yemen’s president appointed a new governor in the hope of preventing further violence.

Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said is sworn in before the royal family council in Muscat, Oman January 11, 2020. REUTERS/Sultan Al Hasani TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC2MDE9MAR1J

Will ties with Iran change under Oman’s new sultan?

A new sultan sitting on the throne in Muscat has sparked questions about the future of traditionally cordial ties Tehran held with the late peacemaker, Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

A tourist lifts up a boy as they visit waterfalls at Ayn Athum in Salalah, Dhofar province, Oman August 23, 2016. Picture taken August 23, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah - D1BETYFAUFAC

Is tourism the antidote to youth unemployment in Oman?

Omani officials aim to create over 500,000 jobs in the tourism sector by 2040.

Members of a Palestinian family sit around a fire to warm themselves at the site of their destroyed house, on a rainy day in the southern Gaza Strip January 10, 2020. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC24DE9KGKN8

Islamic Jihad undermines shaky Gaza cease-fire with rocket barrage

Israel, Egypt holding Hamas accountable for all attacks from Gaza; the wisdom of Sultan Qaboos.

Internally displaced people gather to collect food aid from an ICRC aid distribution centre in Bajil, Yemen December 13, 2018, 2018. Picture taken December 13, 2018. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad - RC14633000A0

Oman’s humanitarian aid to Yemen also pragmatic

Providing assistance to Yemenis requires Oman to maintain a low profile and strike a political balance with its giant neighbor to the northwest, Saudi Arabia.

Sell-off in Oman reveals privatization with regional characteristics

Some Middle East countries in need of cash, such as Oman, are selling assets to Chinese and Malaysian state-owned entities.

RAMALLAH, WEST BANK - OCTOBER 31: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY MANDATORY CREDIT - "PALESTINIAN PRESIDENCY / HANDOUT" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) meets Omani Minister for Foreign Affairs, Yusuf bin Alawi (R) in Ramallah, West Bank on October 31, 2018. (Photo by PALESTINIAN PRESIDENCY / HANDOUT/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Palestine seeks economic relations with Oman

A Palestinian ministerial delegation is preparing to visit Oman early next year as part of efforts to sever economic ties with Israel, but some analysts wonder what benefits are to be gained by either party.

Electricity pylons, Oman. (Photo by Jason Larkin/Construction Photography/Avalon/Getty Images)

Intel: Why US is likely to raise concerns about China’s investment in Oman

A Chinese state-owned company has inked a deal to take over nearly half of Oman’s power transmission firm, which is valued at $2 billion.

(From L to R) Former Iranian foreign minister Kamal Kharazi, Omani Foreign Minister Yussef bin Alawi bin Abdullah and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attend the Tehran Security Conference on January 8, 2018, in Tehran. / AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran's regional peace initiative faces major challenges

While Oman and Iran may have high hopes for the Hormuz Peace Endeavor, regional security arrangements have typically needed great-power backing to hold them together.

U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo talk during a meeting with Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (not pictured), ahead of the NATO summit in Watford, in London, Britain, December 3, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC2SND9G88LE

Trump condemns Iran protest crackdown, stays mum on Oman, French mediation efforts

President Donald Trump, responding to a reporter’s question in London, said the United States does not support the protesters in Iran before he later clarified his answer and castigated the Iranian government.

East Yemen former ruling dynasty calls to revive Mahra Sultanate

Amid Saudi Arabia’s growing military influence over the easternmost corner of Yemen, Al Mahrah’s former ruling dynasty wants independence.

Portrait of Mabroot Al Mashali, a former soldier of the Dhofar Rebellion in Southern Oman.

Oman’s national unity racks up high cultural costs as local languages fall silent

Oman's rich linguistic diversity is dwindling after fifty years of domination by Arabic as the language of education, trade and official correspondence.