Muscat

The U.S. Needs Its Mideast Bases

If America won’t finish the job in Iran, leaving the Gulf Arab states would turn a failure into a rout.

How double-dealing Oman threatens Trump’s Mideast peace

“Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we’ll have to blow them up,” President Donald Trump declared Wednesday. An apparently shocking statement about a nation long regarded as...

Trump needs to shut down this key Iranian transit artery — ASAP

Iran’s corrupt economy is still bleeding; Washington has a narrow, perishable window to bring the regime to its knees. President Donald Trump has shown admirable resolve. His instinct...

Oman Is Under Fire From an Iranian Regime It Sought To Befriend

Even as his country was under threat from Iran, Oman’s ruler congratulated the Islamic Republic’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, on his appointment, expressing his “best wishes for success...

Oman’s Flipflopping on Iran Will Leave It Isolated in the Gulf

Even being targeted by Iranian drone strikes is not enough to stop Oman from hedgingand even trying to accommodate Tehran. While other Gulf states issued severe condemnations of attacks on their...

Iran expands retaliation for US-Israel campaign across Arab states (February 28–March 2)

Iran has responded to the joint United States and Israeli military campaign against it with widespread retaliatory strikes across the Middle East. The Iranian attacks consisted of coordinated drone and...

U.S. and Iran Hold Indirect Talks in Oman

Deliberations in Muscat: Delegations from the United States and Iran convened in the Omani capital of Muscat on February 6 for indirect talks addressing the tensions sparked by...

Negotiating With Iran Is Wrong. Doing So in Oman Is Worse

The scheduled talks in Muscat between the United States and Iran on February 6 shines much needed light on the regional role of their host, the Sultanate of Oman. Oman cannot be regarded as a trusted...

Previewing Talks with Iran

Turkey’s Gulf Tour and Erdogan’s Gaza Ambitions are Dangerous

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues his campaign to expand Turkey’s influence across the Middle East. Last week, he wrapped up a rapid tour of Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman, aiming to secure...

8 UN Failures in Yemen

The United Nations has been active in Yemen for a decade, yet the country remains one of the poorest places on Earth. The country is at war with itself and home to the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who kidnap...

From Oil to Oman: 10 Ways to Economically Cripple Iran’s War Machine

Now is the perfect time to tighten the financial thumbscrews on Iran. The clerical regime has been significantly weakened by the unprecedented Israeli and U.S. military attacks on the Islamic Republic...

U.S. Should Not Mistake Oman for a Neutral Mediator

Oman is not hesitating to show its sympathy for Iran. The country’s sultan, Haitham bin Tarik, called Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on June 16 to offer condolences and tell Pezeshkian that Oman...

Iran Appeals to Qatar, Oman to Revive Nuclear Talks

Iran Asked Qatar, Oman to Mediate With the U.S.: Amidst ongoing Israeli strikes in Iran, Tehran approached Qatar and Oman, requesting their diplomatic services. According to June 15 reports, Iran’s...

Yemeni president meets with Russian president despite Russia’s ongoing relationship with the Houthis

President Rashad al Alimi, the chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 28 to discuss the relationship between their two countries....

‘Difficult But Useful’: United States and Iran Hold Fourth Round of Nuclear Talks in Oman

Fourth Round of Deliberations: A fourth round of negotiations between the United States and Iran over the future of Tehran’s nuclear program took place in Muscat, the capital...

Houthis Pledge to Keep Targeting Israel Despite Ceasefire With U.S.

Donald Trump declared that Yemen’s Houthi rebels “have capitulated,” while a top Houthi official said Washington’s agreement to a May 6 ceasefire is “an expression of helplessness and failure.”...

President Trump announces ceasefire between US and Houthis

On May 6, US President Donald Trump announced an end to Operation Rough Rider, the US offensive against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, saying the Houthis and the US had reached an agreement....

No Clear Progress at Third Session of U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks, Next Round Scheduled

Talks Continue: A third round of negotiations between the United States and Iran over the future of Tehran’s nuclear program took place on April 26 in Muscat, the capital of Oman....

‘Our Friends in China’: Russia, Iran, and China Jointly Meet With IAEA Ahead of Negotiations With United States

Meeting on Iranian Nuclear Program: Chinese, Russian, and Iranian officials met on April 24 with Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),...