Oman

Qatar

United Arab Emirates

Military & Security

A rare shooting attack occurred near a Shiite mosque on the outskirts of Oman's capital, Muscat, on July 15, resulting in at least six deaths and dozens of injuries, BBC reported the next day.

Oman: Rare Shooting Near Shiite Mosque in Muscat Signals Growing Terrorist Risks

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Arab leaders began to arrive in Manama, Bahrain, on May 15, for the 33rd Arab League summit that will focus on developing a consensus on the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, The National reported the next day.

MENA: Arab League Summit To Formalize Conditions for Gaza Reconstruction

United States

Iran

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States was close to presenting a security deal to Saudi Arabia if it normalized relations with Israel, Agence France-Presse reported on April 29. 

U.S.: Blinken Prepares Saudi Security Deal Dependent on Israel Normalization, Floats More GCC Defense Integration

The Palestinian militant group Hamas contacted Oman and an unnamed regional country about relocating its political leaders from Doha, Qatar, The Wall Street Journal reported on April 20.

Qatar: Hamas Reportedly Looking To Relocate Political Bureau

Four to five masked men seized the Marshall Islands-flagged St. Nikolas on Jan. 11 in the Gulf of Oman, forcing the oil tanker to alter its course to Iran, UKMTO reported.

Iran: Country Seizes Oil Tanker off Oman in Significant Escalation of Regional Crisis 

Pakistan

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Dec. 3 reached a consensus on investment terms concerning a potential free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC, Arab News Pakistan reported on Dec. 4.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia: Consensus on Investment Terms Bodes Well for Possible FTA

Omani delegates and representatives of Yemen's rebel Houthi group are reportedly heading to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to discuss a cease-fire, Reuters reported on Sept. 14.

Yemen: Houthis, Omani Intermediaries Visit Riyadh to Discuss Cease-Fire

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian is in Oman for meetings with senior Omani officials, Naharnet reported on June 21.

Iran, Oman: Iranian Foreign Minister Visits Oman on Gulf Tour

Assessments

Ethiopia

Middle East and North Africa

Turkey

The Geopolitics of Water

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Population growth, security vacuums, bad governance and climate change will increasingly strain the desert region's already scarce water supplies, raising the risk of social unrest, interstate conflict and violence from non-state actors.

The Geopolitics of Water: In the Middle East, Water Will Increasingly Become a Weapon and Driver of Conflict

Participants stand outside the pavilion of Oman as they attend day nine of the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Dec. 9, 2023. 

The July terrorist attack in Oman will likely spark a regional security crackdown, despite the incident's limited political and economic consequences.

A Rare Terrorist Attack in Oman Portends a Regional Security Crackdown

Students from the American University of Beirut (AUB) rally in support of Palestinians outside the main gate of the university in the Lebanese capital on Oct. 9, 2023. 

Social Issues

Israel's likely ground invasion in Gaza will alienate many Muslims in the Middle East, pressuring their governments to respond in support of Palestinians.

Gauging the Regional Response to the Gaza Conflict

Iranian-made satellite carriers (left) and missiles (right) are displayed in front of the Holy Defense Museum in Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 20, 2020.

U.S.-Iran Relations

The integrated air and missile defense system laid out in the proposed DEFEND Act could entice Saudi Arabia to deepen normalization with Israel.

U.S. Lawmakers Unveil a Plan to Shield Middle East Allies From Iranian Aggression

High waves break on the seaside promenade in Muscat on Oct. 2, 2021, the day before Cyclone Shaheen officially made landfall in Oman. 

Security

Environmental Issues

The Arab Gulf country's long coastline makes it particularly vulnerable to the effects of warming sea temperatures, including more frequent tropical storms. 

Cyclone Shaheen Underscores Oman’s Need for Climate-Resilient Infrastructure

Snapshots

Naftali Bennett attends the first meeting of his new government on June 13, 2021, in Jerusalem.

Israel's Survival Strategy

A fresh peace process with the Palestinians could contribute to normalization with Gulf Arab states like Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman.

Greater Engagement With the Palestinians Could Win Israel More Normalization

Guidance

China

South Korea

Ukraine

Afghanistan

A military aircraft takes off from the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 27, 2021.

U.S.-China Relations

South Asian Militancy

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended Stratfor articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: The Exit from Afghanistan and a U.S.-Ukraine Meeting

A picture taken on Sept. 15, 2020, shows the Omani national flag waving in Muscat.

Broken Contracts in the Middle East

Bringing Muscat’s fiscal house in order, however, will still require unpopular cuts to subsidies and public wages.

Amid Growing Debt, Oman Seeks IMF Technical Assistance

Hong Kong SAR, China

North Korea

India

Zhang Xiaoming (C), Executive Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, at the end of a State Council press conference on Hong Kong electoral reform March 12, 2021, in Beijing.

The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: The Mainland Finalizes Hong Kong Reforms, Biden Reviews North Korea Policy

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OPEC headquarters on April 4, 2013, in Vienna. OPEC+'s decision to maintain production levels will bolster the idea that oil markets are entering a supercycle, contributing to concerns about rising inflation.

Energy

OPEC+'s decision to maintain production levels will bolster the idea that oil markets are entering a supercycle, contributing to concerns about rising inflation.

OPEC+ Stays the Course, Driving up Oil Price, Inflation Expectations

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) and Alternate Prime Minister and Defence Minister Benny Gantz (left) attend a cabinet meeting in the Knesset on May 24, 2020.

Rebalancing Power in the Middle East

Should the vote yield a more right-wing government with a new leader, Arab and Muslim states may pause or even reverse their pursuit of normalized Israeli ties.

What Another Israeli Election Means for Netanyahu and Normalization 

Qatar’s defense minister (center) waits for the arrival of his Turkish counterpart to meet with the prime minister of Libya’s U.N.-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli on Aug. 17, 2020. 

The Yemen Civil War

The Libyan Civil War

Iran's Arc of Influence

The easing of the Qatar blockade may help resolve the current GCC crisis, but it won't unite Arab Gulf states’ divergent regional policies.

A Potential Breakthrough in Qatar Paves the Way for GCC Reconciliation 

Located at the extreme southeastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, the Sultanate of Oman is a mix of cosmopolitan port cities, rugged mountains and a wide desert interior.    Divided by mountains and deserts from neighboring Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the United Arab Emirates, Omanis have integrated themselves with other Indian Ocean communities for much of their history. With few water resources and population centers isolated by topography, Oman's geography has fostered three distinct cores. The cosmopolitan economic elite of Muscat, the tribal groups in Salalah and the Ibadi religious core in Nizwa. Maintaining unity of these cores is Oman's primary geographic challenge.    Muscat, Oman's largest port and political and economic capital, is separated from the rest of the country by the Al Hajar Mountains.     The al Qamar Mountains surround Salalah, Oman's second largest city and a regional tourist destination. Dhofar's mountains and dense vegetation helped harbor members of a Marxist-inspired rebellion against Muscat's rule for much of the 1960-70s.    Oman's government revenues are dependent on oil and gas reserves that are located in the central desert region south of Nizwa. This region was once home to the Ibadi Imamate that clashed with the coastal-based Sultanate for centuries.    The Musandam Peninsula, northwest of Muscat, places the critical shipping lanes of the Strait of Hormuz within Oman's territorial waters. The British granted Oman control over the peninsula during their withdrawal from the region in the 1970s.    Positioned between Peninsular Sunni Arab and Shiite Iranian spheres of influence, Muscat has had to pursue a flexible foreign policy strategy to balance between the two regional powers. Oman has traditionally relied on the major naval power of the day — formerly the British, today the United States — to help maintain this balance and protect its sovereignty.

A Crude Recovery

The Fight for Russia’s Borderlands

SITUATION REPORTS

Oman: Rare Shooting Near Shiite Mosque in Muscat Signals Growing Terrorist Risks

MENA: Arab League Summit To Formalize Conditions for Gaza Reconstruction

U.S.: Blinken Prepares Saudi Security Deal Dependent on Israel Normalization, Floats More GCC Defense Integration

Qatar: Hamas Reportedly Looking To Relocate Political Bureau

Iran: Country Seizes Oil Tanker off Oman in Significant Escalation of Regional Crisis

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia: Consensus on Investment Terms Bodes Well for Possible FTA

Yemen: Houthis, Omani Intermediaries Visit Riyadh to Discuss Cease-Fire

Iran, Oman: Iranian Foreign Minister Visits Oman on Gulf Tour

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