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Oman

June 17, 2026

Muscat 3:22 pm

35°C

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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

Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq meets with US Secretary of State at al-Alam palace in the capital Muscat on February 21, 2020. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

Oman kicks off ambitious reform project

A significant revamp promises to slim down the Omani government, bring in new faces and mark the start of a new era.

A man reads a copy of UAE-based The National newspaper near the Burj Khalifa, the tallest structure and building in the world since 2009, in the gulf emirate of Dubai on August 14, 2020, as the publication's headline reflects the previous day's news as Israel and the UAE agreed to normalise relations in a landmark US-brokered deal. - The deal marks only the third such accord the Jewish state has struck with an Arab nation, an historic shift making the Gulf state only the third Arab country to establish full

Oman says it supports UAE-Israel normalization of ties

Israeli officials told the local press they are in talks with Oman to reach a similar normalization in ties.

United Arab Emirates

A man wearing latex gloves and a mask, due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, checks airline tickets and travel documents while behind him Indian nationals residing in Oman queue with their luggage at the check-in counter at a terminal in Muscat International Airport ahead of their repatriation flight from the Omani capital, on May 12, 2020. (Photo by MOHAMMED MAHJOUB / AFP) (Photo by MOHAMMED MAHJOUB/AFP via Getty Images)

Oman imposes fresh lockdown ahead of Eid al-Adha holiday

A ban on travel between the governorates and an 11-hour curfew will run from July 25 through Aug. 8.

Oman to allow residents to take international flights

Oman's government also announced it would extend a lockdown on the Dhofar and Masirah regions.

<<enter caption here>> on March 17, 2017 in Beijing, China.

Has China gained an edge on the US in the Gulf?

China has upped the ante, but the United States holds the winning hand; Oman weighs risks and benefits of Gulf bailout; will migrant workers return to GCC?

Oman weighs costs of bailout from Gulf neighbors

Gulf countries might step up to keep Oman’s public finances afloat, but experts warn strings may be attached.

GCC faces possible setback with exodus of skilled professionals

The coronavirus pandemic coupled with the oil crisis is pushing foreign workers to exit the Gulf states, perhaps shaping future labor policies.

Oman’s state-owned entities change hands

As the newly-formed Oman Investment Authority takes over most of the Gulf country’s public assets, questions arise as to whether this is streamlining the administration, economic reform or power consolidation?

A worker stands at the construction site of Duqm Airport, Oman, August 21, 2017. Picture taken August 21, 2017. REUTERS/Nawied Jabarkhyl - RC1888554580

Oman will make it easier for expat workers to switch jobs

Under a previous order, foreign workers were barred from switching companies without explicit permission from their employers.

General view of old Muscat the day after Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said was laid to rest in Muscat, Oman, January 12, 2020. REUTERS/Christopher Pike - RC2FEE93ZHFJ

Oman’s public sector reform risks brain drain

By letting go of thousands of foreign experts, Oman risks losing the know-how central to achieving economic diversification.

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.