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Oman

June 24, 2026

Muscat 12:06 am

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Explainer

Hormuz tolls, frozen funds pose early tests for US-Iran peace progress

Early cracks are beginning to show following last week’s US-Iran deal announcement even as both sides move ahead with steps toward ending the four-month conflict.

Speaker of the parliament of Iran, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (R), arrives at the Burgenstock resort in Obbuergen, near Lucerne, Switzerland, on June 21, 2026.

Iran's Ghalibaf holds talks in Oman on Strait of Hormuz: What to know

The US-Iran memorandum of understanding signed last week calls for Iran and Oman to hold talks on the future administration of the strait.

Jalaa MAREY / AFP via Getty Images

Breaking | Last Updated: June 9, 2026, 5:51 pm

US military strikes Iran after Apache helicopter downed off Oman

The alleged shoot-down came hours after a US fighter jet fired on a Palau-flagged commercial tanker accused of attempting to outrun the US blockade of Iran.

Latest News

Analysis

Oman’s wartime paradox: Diplomatic losses, economic gains

Oil tankers and high-speed crafts anchored near the Strait of Hormuz, Muscat, Oman, March 30, 2026.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Oman denies disruption at key oil hub after reported drone attack

AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

How Iran war created unexpected economic beneficiaries

Amjad Kurdo / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Trump threatens to 'blow up' Oman as US-Iran talks stall

Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi (L) and US President Donald Trump pose during a summit on Gaza in Sharm el-Sheikh on October 13, 2025.

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Karen Young

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional energy

Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq meets with U.S. Secretary of State?Mike?Pompeo (not pictured) at al-Alam palace in Muscat, Oman February 21, 2020. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via REUTERS - RC235F94BGS6

In latest spending cut, Oman not renewing majority of foreign consultant contracts

Contracts will not be renewed for at least 70% of foreign experts and consultants working for the Omani government.

View of a pier in downtown Muscat, Oman. (Photo by: Edwin Remsberg/VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Oman ending lockdown in capital

Restrictions in other parts of the country to remain in place as COVID-19 cases continue to rise.

Gulf’s megaprojects face delays, reassessment

Saudi Arabia has cut capital expenditure for a number of Vision 2030 projects amid a drop in oil prices and Chinese investment. Will other Gulf states follow suit?

Women wear protective face masks, as they walk, after Saudi Arabia imposed a temporary lockdown on the province of Qatif, following the spread of coronavirus, in Qatif, Saudi Arabia March 10, 2020. REUTERS/Stringer - RC25HF9S55OY

China ramps up COVID-19 diplomacy in Mideast

As the Trump administration tries to link the coronavirus to a Chinese laboratory, Beijing is using the pandemic to strengthen ties in the Gulf.

View of a pier in downtown Muscat, Oman. (Photo by: Edwin Remsberg/VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Oman’s sovereign wealth fund under pressure

Ahead of the prospect of a high budget deficit in 2020, assets held by the State General Reserve Fund (SGRF) plunged by about a third to $14.3 billion.

Intel: Trump calls on Qatar to work toward resolving Gulf dispute

President Donald Trump has asked Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to take steps to resolve the ongoing dispute with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE, which blockaded Qatar in 2017.

For Gulf, South Asia countries, worst is yet to come

The pandemic is expected to be especially hard on migrant workers in the Mideast and South Asia, as it has left many of them unemployed and struggling to return home to an uncertain future.

Is Oman’s model of governance about to shift?

Oman's debts are piling up as oil prices crash, putting at risk its wide-reaching social welfare system.

An airline employee walks through Reagan National Airport during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Washington, U.S., April 5, 2020. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts - RC2KYF955PLJ

‘All hands on deck:’ Middle East embassies inundated with citizens stranded in US

Middle East embassies are overwhelmed with calls from citizens trying to return home as COVID-19 spreads in the United States.

U.S. Secretary of State?Mike?Pompeo meets with Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq at al-Alam palace in Muscat, Oman on February 21, 2020. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via REUTERS - RC225F97S5EO

Oman’s foreign policy after Sultan Qaboos

As Sultan Haitham’s reign begins, Omanis hold fast to the Gulf state’s long-standing commitment to dialogue and regional diplomacy.

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.