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Oman

July 11, 2026

Muscat 1:11 pm

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Oil tankers and cargo vessels are anchored off the coast of Oman after being stranded for days as congestion at Port Sultan Qaboos has prevented them from docking on June 23, 2026 in Muscat, Oman. The Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for the region's oil and gas, was effectively blockaded since the outbreak of war between the United States and Iran in late February. This week's provisional peace deal between the countries was meant to reopen the waterway to shipping traffic, but the pace of that reo

Oil prices ease as OPEC+ increases production, Hormuz traffic rebounds

Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell 0.15% to $71.87 a barrel as of 8:07 a.m. EDT after dropping as low as $71.09 earlier in the session, its lowest level since before the US-Israel-Iran war began on Feb. 28.

Latest News

Oman's sultan meets Macron in first France visit since 1989: What to know

French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tarik pose during a meeting with business leaders in Paris on June 29, 2026.

Traffic plummets through Strait of Hormuz after Iran, US trade fire

AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

Gulf states push incentives for investors, expats after war dents image

FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images

United Arab Emirates

Iran’s IRGC warns against using 'highly dangerous' Hormuz route: What to know

Hamed Malekpour / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Karen Young

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional energy

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.

BEDMINSTER, NEW JERSEY - JULY 28: Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Yasir al-Rumayyan, head of the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, look on from the second tee during the pro-am prior to the LIV Golf Invitational - Bedminster at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster on July 28, 2022 in Bedminster, New Jersey. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)

What does Donald Trump's latest $200 million deal with Saudi Arabia entail?

The former president, who is now the presumptive nominee for the Republican Party, has long had significant business ties to Saudi Arabia via his properties and the LIV Golf league.

David Cameron

UK’s Cameron heads to Oman to discuss Houthi attacks, Red Sea escalation

Ahead of the visit, the foreign minister told the Conservative Middle East Council that Britain is ready to bring forward the moment when it officially recognizes an independent Palestinian state.