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Oman

June 17, 2026

Muscat 10:22 pm

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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.

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

Analysis

Oman’s wartime paradox: Diplomatic losses, economic gains

Experts see Oman gaining long-term economic benefits from the US-Israel-Iran war even as the conflict bruises Muscat’s diplomatic standing.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

AFP via Getty Images

Oman denies disruption at key oil hub after reported drone attack

Oman’s state-owned oil company rebuffed reports about the suspension of oil loading operations at a key port following an alleged drone attack.

Latest News

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.

Iran’s Hormuz authority declares control over ports in UAE, Oman: What to know

AFP via Getty Images

Oman enters Gulf AI race with new special economic zone in Muscat

Haitham AL-SHUKAIRI / 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

The UAE's 'alternative GCC'

With no solution to the Qatar-GCC crisis in sight, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have formed their own alliance to support their regional foreign policy.

Egypt flexes its mediation muscle in Lebanon crisis

During an emergency meeting in Cairo, the Arab League condemned Iran’s meddling in Arab affairs.

Russia, Oman size each other up as potential Mideast allies

Despite a challenging history, Russia finds common ground with Oman, which sometimes seems the "odd man out" in the Gulf.

Oman's Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi waves as he arrives to attend a meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia March 30, 2017. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser - RTX33EVF

Trump administration looks to Oman for help navigating Middle East

US officials, while wary about Oman's ties with Iran, seek Oman's assistance in resolving Qatar dispute.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 13, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein - RTS16WM2

Tillerson calls on Saudi bloc to lift blockade on Qatar

The US secretary of state, after meeting Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi today in Washington, called for the lifting of the blockade on Qatar as a sign of good faith.

MEYMEH, IRAN - JUNE 03: Farmer Abbas Hamamian works his wheat field on June 3, 2014 in Meymeh, Iran. He said he has owned the 4-hectare farm for 15 years, and this year's rains have been good for his crop. Iran is marking the 25th anniversary of the death of the Ayatollah Khomeini and his legacy of the Islamic Revolution. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

Rouhani leads Iran’s return to wheat exports

After years of imports, Iran has once again regained its self-sufficiency in wheat production under the Hassan Rouhani administration.

U.S. President Donald Trump (4-L) speaks with Oman's Deputy Prime Minister Fahd bin Mahmoud Al-Said (3-L) during a family photo with Gulf Cooperation Council leaders at their summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 21, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTX36TI7

In wake of Trump visit, Saudi-led Sunni bloc already splintering

Less than two weeks after Trump's summit in Saudi Arabia, "Arab NATO" is showing signs of division due to fears of widening the regional political divide and doubts over Washington's reliability.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir (R) and Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani attend a news conference after an extraordinary meeting of the foreign ministers of GCC, in Riyadh January 9, 2016. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser - RTX21N8K

Why region should prepare for long Saudi-Iranian confrontation

Despite the efforts of smaller players such as Kuwait and Oman to defuse tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, there is little on the horizon suggesting an end to Riyadh’s determination to directly confront Tehran.

Women hold a banner as they take part in a protest marking the International Women's Day outside the United Nations offices in Sanaa, Yemen March 8, 2017. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah - RTS11XSB

Yemen war turns two

Saudi Arabia and the United States need to put more thought into the endgame for the war in Yemen.

Why did Oman join Saudi Arabia’s anti-terrorism alliance?

Oman joins the 40-member Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism, yet still strikes a balance while refusing to distance itself from Iran in order to please Saudi Arabia.

Will Egypt accept Iran’s offer to supply oil?

Iran has found an opportunity to meet Egypt’s local market needs for petroleum products, but will Egypt seize this opportunity at the expense of its ties with the Gulf countries?

Bahrain's Prime Minister Prince Khalifa Bin Salman al-Khalifa attends a meeting during the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) summit at the Foreign Ministry in Bangkok, Thailand, October 10, 2016. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha - RTSRK1T

Who in the GCC wants a union?

Gulf Cooperation Council states consider transforming into a union to arm themselves against Iran’s increasing dominance and the growing instability in the Middle East.