Oman - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Oman cover image

Oman

April 24, 2026

Muscat 3:14 am

28°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

Presidents Hassan Rouhani of Iran, Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Vladimir Putin of Russia arrive for a news conference in Ankara, Turkey, September 16, 2019. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC1D1AF89BB0

The Takeaway: October 9, 2019

Oman's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah meets with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (not pictured) in Tehran, Iran July 27, 2019. Nazanin Tabatabaee/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS. ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC19F47221C0

Interview

Oman minister describes role as 'facilitator' of diplomacy in turbulent region

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Oman’s minister responsible for foreign affairs, describes his country's role as facilitator, not mediator, to resolve the region's conflicts, including Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Yemen, and the embargo of Qatar.

Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah

Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Oman

What is happening behind the scenes in the Yemen talks?

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are trying to consolidate their military influence in Yemen through talks in Jeddah.

Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, speaks during a news conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Alhakim in Baghdad, Iraq May 26, 2019. REUTERS/Khalid Al-Mousily - RC1CB4BEB750

What was behind regional tour of Iranian foreign minister?

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif goes to Kuwait and Qatar to promote dialogue, perhaps because opportunities that once developed through Oman may no longer be as fruitful as they once were.

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson conducts flight operations while underway in the Arabian Gulf in this U.S. Navy handout photo dated April 4, 2011. He may have been America's enemy number one, but after U.S. forces killed him in Pakistan, Osama bin Laden was afforded Islamic religious rites by the U.S. military as part of his surprise at-sea burial on Monday. The body was transported to the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, which brought him to his final resting place somewhere in the north

Putin’s Gulf security plan depends on Trump

The Russian president plans to roll out his regional initiative to calm Gulf tensions next month — but are the United States and the EU ready to let Putin step up in the Gulf?

A girl drinks water from a tap inside a refugee camp in Baghdad September 27, 2007. About 70 families lived in a refugee camp after they were displaced from their homes because of the sectarian violence, the Red Crescent organization said. REUTERS/Mahmoud Raouf Mahmoud (IRAQ) - GM1DWGBBQSAA

Geopolitics delay action while climate change threatens to parch Mideast

The Middle East and North Africa region faces serious water risks, but experts say the collective action needed to address the problem is still far off.

UAE shifts course in Yemen

By cutting back its forces in Yemen, the UAE seeks to evade the material, humanitarian and moral consequences of the war all the while counting on its local agents to implement the UAE agenda in the country.

Oman to open embassy in West Bank

Oman recently decided to open an embassy in the Palestinian territories, and many Palestinians believe the step is aimed at silencing the Palestinian Authority in the wake of Oman’s relationship with Israel.

Gulf states divided in approach to Iran-US escalation

Not having faced a direct threat from Iran in the last few decades, the position of Oman, Kuwait and Qatar in the current tensions with Iran is that of peaceful negotations, rather than military intervention.

A damaged Andrea Victory ship is seen off the Port of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, May 13, 2019. REUTERS/Satish Kumar - RC1C22EB5DB0

Iran says Mossad ‘fabricating intelligence’ on oil tanker attacks

Iran’s foreign minister has condemned the UNSC meeting that will discuss UAE claims about oil tanker attacks.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani (R) arrives to address the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 25, 2018. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri - HP1EE9P1EGI66

Iran vs. US: From Talk of War to Talk of Talk

Trump repeats his offer of talks with Iran, but Iran is not interested.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks at the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit during the 73rd United Nations General Assembly in New York, U.S., September 24, 2018. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri - RC1E713F5F70

Iran sticks to its guns: No room for talks with Trump

Iran's president has once again ruled out dialog with his US counterpart amid mixed signals from the White House. Yet third-party mediation remains an option both sides seemingly favor.