Oman is a member of the Gulf Co-operation Council. It has positioned itself as a diplomatic intermediary between America and Iran. Its foreign minister, Badr Albusaidi, mediated the most recent nuclear talks between the two countries.
During the American-Israeli war against Iran that began on February 28th 2026, Iran struck a port in Oman. Oman received fewer attacks than other Gulf states: more than half of Iran's attacks were aimed at the UAE, compared with only a handful at Oman. Albusaidi has proposed a regional process for nuclear-energy transparency as a pathway back to negotiations between America and Iran, potentially leading to a regional non-aggression treaty.
Oman mediated the previous rounds of US-Iranian talks, but by late March many of its allies were furious at its sympathetic stance towards Iran throughout the war. Neither America nor other Gulf states see Oman as a credible mediator any longer. Desalination provides almost all of Oman's drinking water.
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