Botswana

South Africa

Oman

Germany

Economics

Energy

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Germany agreed to forward a 200 million euro ($234 million) concessional loan to South Africa to support investments in the country's power grid and renewable energies, as well as expand bilateral cooperation on mineral beneficiation in the country, Reuters reported on April 13.

Southern Africa: Germany, Oman Expand Critical Mineral, Energy Cooperation With South Africa, Botswana

Bahrain

Iran

Kuwait

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Ukraine

Russia

Military & Security

Politics

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country was discussing security cooperation with Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain, Reuters reported on April 10.

Ukraine, MENA: Kyiv in Talks for More Security Cooperation With Gulf Countries

United States

Israel

Lebanon

U.S.-Iran Relations

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran would grant vessels safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz with the coordination of Iranian armed forces if U.S.-Israeli attacks against Iran stopped during the two-week ceasefire announced on April 7, Reuters reported on April 7.

Iran, U.S.: Iranian Armed Forces To Coordinate Strait of Hormuz Maritime Transit During Two-Week Ceasefire

Switzerland

The United States and Iran held the second round of Omani-mediated indirect nuclear talks in Geneva, Switzerland, focused on limitations on Iran's nuclear program and verification involving international nuclear inspectors, Reuters reported on Feb. 17.

U.S., Iran: U.S. and Iran Hold Second Round of Indirect Nuclear Talks in Geneva

Indirect discussions between the United States and Iran took place Feb. 6 in Oman, with the two sides agreeing to follow-on talks in Oman, CNN reported.

Iran, U.S.: Indirect Discussions in Oman Conclude, Delegations Agree on More Talks

Iran has warned regional countries that U.S. bases in the Middle East could be targeted in retaliation for potential U.S. attacks in support of Iranian protesters, Reuters reported Jan. 14. 

U.S., Iran: Tehran Warns of Potential Attacks Against U.S. Bases, U.S. Partially Evacuates

India

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Oman, India signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement to strengthen bilateral trade and investment, Reuters reported on Dec. 18.

India, Oman: Governments Sign Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement

In a June 22 royal decree, Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al Said ratified a 5% income tax on residents in Oman earning over 42,000 rials ($109,000), Bloomberg reported the next day. 

Oman: Personal Income Tax Marks First in GCC

Assessments

The Burj Khalifa skyscraper (L) and the Burj al-Arab hotel (R) on March 11 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. With further Iranian provocation, several Gulf Cooperation Council states would be willing to join the war against Iran, but doing so would likely deepen Iran's targeting of their critical infrastructure, exacerbate the globally disruptive impacts of the war and potentially pull the GCC into a permanently hostile relationship with Iran.

Joining in could deepen Iran's targeting of GCC critical infrastructure, exacerbate the globally disruptive impacts of the war and pull the bloc into a permanently hostile relationship with Iran.

Will the Gulf States Join the Iran War, and What Would Happen if They Did?

Yemen

Europe

A medicine distributor stores Mounjaro (tirzepatide) self-injecting GLP-1 prefilled pens and vials in a fridge at his office in Thane, India, on March 20, 2026. 

India's pharmaceutical and medical technology sectors are set to grow significantly over the next several years amid manufacturing incentives, regulatory reforms and trade deals.

The Growth Outlook for India's Pharmaceutical Sector Remains Strong, Despite Global Uncertainties

People walk along the corniche area on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, in Abu Dhabi on March 20, 2026.

Global Trade

Disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will compel Gulf Cooperation Council states to invest in alternative trade routes and more resilient physical infrastructure.

Gulf Arab States, Shaken by Iran War, Plan Economic Pivot

The Crown Plaza on March 1 showing damage from an Iranian military strike in Manama, Bahrain. Iran's attacks will push the Gulf Arab states more toward security alignment with the United States, and threaten their status as a secure investment destination.

Iran's attacks will push the Gulf Arab states more toward security alignment with the United States, and threaten their status as a secure investment destination.

The Implications of Iran's Attacks on the Gulf

New Zealand

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi walks alongside Oman's Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq al-Said upon his arrival in Muscat on Dec. 17, 2025.

New trade pacts offer gains in market access and investment but India's protectionist stance on agriculture and dairy remains an obstacle to deals with the United States and European Union. 


Oman and New Zealand Deals Indicate India's Push To Diversify Trade Partnerships

Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani chairing a preparatory meeting in Doha on Sept. 14, 2025, ahead of an Arab Islamic summit.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The Sept. 9 strike on Qatar has amplified doubts among Gulf states about the reliability of U.S. security guarantees and Washington's ability to restrain its regional allies.

Israeli Strike on Qatar Prompts GCC States To Question Future of Regional Security

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jassim al-Budaiwi and the foreign ministers from the six GCC countries (Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates) pose for a group photo during the GCC foreign minister meeting in Kuwait City on June 2, 2025.

Despite global economic uncertainty and oil price volatility, Gulf Arab states are expected to sustain solid economic growth, driven by strong fundamentals, substantial buffers and ongoing diversification efforts.

Solid Fundamentals Shield GCC Economies From Global Volatility

Media

Podcasts

How have Gulf Arab states' positions on the Israel-Iran conflict evolved?

Essential Geopolitics: The Future of Gulf-Iranian Relations

Columns

On Geopolitics

Turkey

Vehicles drive along a main thoroughfare past a billboard that reads in Farsi and Hebrew: "A severe blow... The vile and villainous Zionist regime (Israel) has made a grave mistake,” in central Tehran on June 24, 2025. 

The war has weakened Iran, but has also shifted regional perceptions of Israel as a destabilizing force, prompting Gulf states to reassess alliances, Turkey to emerge as a rival, and raising the risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East.

Assessing the Regional Impact of the Israel-Iran War, Part 2

China

Over the next decade, Gulf Arab states will increase oil and gas exports to emerging Asian markets, seeking alternatives to the U.S. amid tariff uncertainty. But the region's military and tech ties with the U.S. will remain strong.

Geopolitics of Trade: Gulf Arab States Balance Diversification With Enduring U.S. Ties

A rally on Jan. 24 in Sanaa, the Houthi-controlled capital of Yemen. Should the United States attack Iranian ships and advisers supporting the Houthi rebel group, Houthi and Iranian retaliation would become likelier to extend beyond U.S. and Israeli targets to include regional oil and gas installations.

Should the United States also attack Iranian ships and advisers supporting the Yemeni rebel group, Houthi and Iranian retaliation would become likelier to extend beyond U.S. and Israeli targets to include regional oil and gas installations. 

U.S. Strikes on Houthis Risk Embroiling Iran and the Regional Energy Industry

Ethiopia

Sudan

Middle East and North Africa

Algeria

Egypt

Iraq

Jordan

Palestinian Territories

Syria

The Geopolitics of Water

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

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.

SITUATION REPORTS

Southern Africa: Germany, Oman Expand Critical Mineral, Energy Cooperation With South Africa, Botswana

Ukraine, MENA: Kyiv in Talks for More Security Cooperation With Gulf Countries

Iran, U.S.: Iranian Armed Forces To Coordinate Strait of Hormuz Maritime Transit During Two-Week Ceasefire

U.S., Iran: U.S. and Iran Hold Second Round of Indirect Nuclear Talks in Geneva

Iran, U.S.: Indirect Discussions in Oman Conclude, Delegations Agree on More Talks

U.S., Iran: Tehran Warns of Potential Attacks Against U.S. Bases, U.S. Partially Evacuates

India, Oman: Governments Sign Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement

Oman: Personal Income Tax Marks First in GCC

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