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Oman

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Oman. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Muscat

Head of State

Sultan Haitham bin Tariq

Head of Government

Prime Minister Haitham bin Tariq

An illustration shows the Strait of Hormuz, which is bordered by Iran and Oman. Photo: Reuters

US, Israel war on Iran

Opinion | Passage through the Strait of Hormuz is a right in war and peace

Neutral ships have a legal right of passage, even in war. Singapore has defended international law, which provides for a stable world order.

18 Apr 2026 - 1:30PMvideocam

Malaysia

Gloves are off: Malaysian makers warn hospitals of price hikes, output cuts

18 Apr 2026 - 11:47AM

Japan

Japan warned of ‘hellish summer’ as energy fears mount

18 Apr 2026 - 10:30AM

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran, US say Strait of Hormuz is fully open to commercial vessels

Move eases oil fears, but US’ Iran blockade remains amid questions over enforcement and China’s role, as Trump claims to have ended 10 wars.

18 Apr 2026 - 7:47AMvideocam

A drone view shows the Malta-flagged tanker Agios Fanourios I, an oil tanker that sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, arriving in Iraq’s territorial waters off Basra, Iraq, on Friday. Photo: Reuters

China-Middle East relations

Exclusive | Hong Kong-flagged tanker passes through Strait of Hormuz in test of US blockade

AVA 6 passage marks at least the second transit of a China-linked tanker through the waterway since the US military operation began.

17 Apr 2026 - 9:38PMvideocam

China-Asean relations

Can Japan’s US$10b energy shield oust China’s influence in Southeast Asia?

Pledge is a bid to ‘embed Japan at the centre of Southeast Asia’s energy security architecture’, observer notes, but questions its impact.

16 Apr 2026 - 9:02PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Trump says the Iran war is ‘close to over’. Is he just out of options?

Several clocks are ticking for the American president as he looks for a way out of the deadlock, observers suggest.

15 Apr 2026 - 10:00PMvideocam

More than 10,000 troops are taking part in the US blockade of Iran, according to the US Central Command. Photo: Handout

US, Israel war on Iran

Can Iran’s small, fast-attack boats challenge US naval blockade of Hormuz?

Iran’s conventional navy might be decimated, but its large fleet of high-speed boats could well pose a threat, analysts in China say.

15 Apr 2026 - 8:13PMvideocam

China energy security

Which countries are most vulnerable as US imposes Persian Gulf blockade?

Nomura says more than 90 per cent of the crude oil imported by Japan and the Philippines comes from the Middle East.

15 Apr 2026 - 8:00AM

US, Israel war on Iran

US blockade of Strait of Hormuz is ‘easy for them to do’ but at what cost?

Analysts believe plan to target Iran’s economic lifeline is well within US Navy’s capabilities, but warn this may prompt a military response.

13 Apr 2026 - 9:55PMvideocam

The Strait of Hormuz is a key waterway for oil and natural gas. Photo: Reuters

Hong Kong stock market

Stocks drop and oil surges back above US$100 as US blockade of Hormuz escalates war

Stock markets across Asia fell, with Japan’s Nikkei losing 0.7 per cent and South Korea’s Kospi dropping 0.9 per cent.

13 Apr 2026 - 4:48PMvideocam

Cargo ships near the Strait of Hormuz. US President Donald Trump said that American forces would block the strait on Monday after peace talks with Iran collapsed. Photo: Reuters

My Take

My Take | Iran’s emergence as a major power should be welcome in a multipolar world

Countering US imperialism and Israeli state terrorism should now be an imperative for the entire international community.

13 Apr 2026 - 6:31AMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

‘Blown to hell’: Trump announces US blockade of Strait of Hormuz

The US plans to block ‘all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports’ starting on Monday.

14 Apr 2026 - 9:20AMvideocam

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Japan

Japan’s Middle East oil habit gets an Iran war reality check

Almost all of Japan’s oil comes from the Middle East. A closed strait turned that dependence into a trap.

11 Apr 2026 - 8:00AMvideocam

Storage tanks are seen at an oil refinery in Yokohama, Japan’s Kanagawa prefecture, as Mount Fuji looms in the background. Photo: AFP

US, Israel war on Iran

US presses Iran as talks gear up in Pakistan under fragile ceasefire

Vice-President J.D. Vance to lead negotiations in Islamabad as Tehran sets preconditions, Trump warns of military action if diplomacy fails.

11 Apr 2026 - 6:20AMvideocam

US Vice-President J.D. Vance before boarding Air Force Two on Friday en route to Pakistan for high-stakes talks with Iran. Photo: Reuters

US, Israel war on Iran

US-Iran talks leave Gulf states on edge about the price of peace

The six GCC nations worry that the US will prioritise Tehran’s needs and leave the Gulf monarchies vulnerable to Iranian retaliation.

10 Apr 2026 - 7:01PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Yuan tokens and oil-linked fees? China experts propose ‘innovative’ Hormuz tolls

Analysts warn Trump’s ‘joint venture’ plan with Iran could formalise grey zone, while Beijing balances roles as mediator, energy importer.

10 Apr 2026 - 4:56PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Strait of Hormuz: is a Trump‑Iran joint venture really possible?

With regime change increasingly out of reach, the US president may pivot towards a business deal with Tehran’s fractured leadership.

9 Apr 2026 - 8:45PMvideocam

Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates last month. Photo: AP

Thailand

Thailand confirms deaths of 3 cargo ship crew in Gulf attack

The Thai-flagged ship was struck on March 11 while travelling through the Gulf waterway.

8 Apr 2026 - 7:40PM

France

French detainees back in Paris after ‘terrible ordeal’ in Iran

The pair had been under house arrest at the French embassy in Tehran ever since being freed from more than three years in prison in November.

8 Apr 2026 - 7:28PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran allows 2 French former detainees to leave country

The green light for them to leave Iran, long sought by France, signalled how Iran is differentiating between nations amid the Iran war.

7 Apr 2026 - 11:13PM

Portraits of Cecile Kohler (left) and her partner Jacques Paris along with a placard reading “Freedom for Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris arbitrarily detained in Iran for over two years in appalling conditions” outside the Palais Bourbon, France’s National Assembly in 2025. Photo: AFP

Malaysia

Iran ‘does not forget its friends’ as Malaysia-linked ships pass through Hormuz

The move signals Tehran’s use of access to Hormuz as leverage, analysts say, while drawing scrutiny over Malaysia’s oil transfers.

7 Apr 2026 - 7:52PMvideocam

A tanker shown in an image posted by Iran’s embassy in Kuala Lumpur, which said it was the first Malaysian-linked vessel to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Photo: x / iraninmalaysia

US, Israel war on Iran

‘A whole civilisation will die tonight’: Donald Trump heightens Iran threats

Ahead of ‘complete demolition’ deadline, two sides face trust deficit and see no acceptable guarantor between them, analysts say.

7 Apr 2026 - 11:46PMvideocam

Middle East

Opinion | For Gulf states, geography is both a generous and treacherous patron

Sandwiched between Iran and Israel, oil-rich transport hubs like the UAE now face the fragility of their newly built economic prosperity.

7 Apr 2026 - 4:30PM

US, Israel war on Iran

‘Damage control’? Behind France, Germany’s bid to contain Iran war oil fallout

The European powers are leading calls for de-escalation but analyst notes ‘the age of soft power as a substitute for hard capacity is over’.

7 Apr 2026 - 7:45AMvideocam

Cargo ships in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, last month. Iran has effectively closed the waterway through which about 20 per cent of the world’s oil supply is transported. Photo: Reuters

Japan

Japan’s Takaichi seeks urgent summit with Iran as Trump’s Hormuz deadline looms

Japan has been bearing the brunt of the Iran war as the resource-poor nation relies on the Middle East for most of its crude oil imports.

6 Apr 2026 - 1:32PM

Fuel prices are displayed at a petrol station in Tokyo on March 18. Photo: EPA

US, Israel war on Iran

Trump draws criticism with fiery, foul-mouthed message threatening Iran

US president appears to extend deadline to Tuesday for Iran to ‘make a deal’ or he’s ‘blowing everything up’.

6 Apr 2026 - 4:58PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

As I see it | The twilight of US hegemony and Israeli expansionism

The war in Iran is speeding the world towards a multipolar system.

4 Apr 2026 - 5:30AMvideocam

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Oman

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | Passage through the Strait of Hormuz is a right in war and peace

Neutral ships have a legal right of passage, even in war. Singapore has defended international law, which provides for a stable world order.

Gloves are off: Malaysian makers warn hospitals of price hikes, output cuts

Japan warned of ‘hellish summer’ as energy fears mount

Iran, US say Strait of Hormuz is fully open to commercial vessels

Move eases oil fears, but US’ Iran blockade remains amid questions over enforcement and China’s role, as Trump claims to have ended 10 wars.

.css-19im5qg{color:#c79a00;}Exclusive | Hong Kong-flagged tanker passes through Strait of Hormuz in test of US blockade

AVA 6 passage marks at least the second transit of a China-linked tanker through the waterway since the US military operation began.

Can Japan’s US$10b energy shield oust China’s influence in Southeast Asia?

Pledge is a bid to ‘embed Japan at the centre of Southeast Asia’s energy security architecture’, observer notes, but questions its impact.

Trump says the Iran war is ‘close to over’. Is he just out of options?

Several clocks are ticking for the American president as he looks for a way out of the deadlock, observers suggest.

Can Iran’s small, fast-attack boats challenge US naval blockade of Hormuz?

Iran’s conventional navy might be decimated, but its large fleet of high-speed boats could well pose a threat, analysts in China say.

Which countries are most vulnerable as US imposes Persian Gulf blockade?

Nomura says more than 90 per cent of the crude oil imported by Japan and the Philippines comes from the Middle East.

US blockade of Strait of Hormuz is ‘easy for them to do’ but at what cost?

Analysts believe plan to target Iran’s economic lifeline is well within US Navy’s capabilities, but warn this may prompt a military response.

Stocks drop and oil surges back above US$100 as US blockade of Hormuz escalates war

Stock markets across Asia fell, with Japan’s Nikkei losing 0.7 per cent and South Korea’s Kospi dropping 0.9 per cent.

My Take | Iran’s emergence as a major power should be welcome in a multipolar world

Countering US imperialism and Israeli state terrorism should now be an imperative for the entire international community.

‘Blown to hell’: Trump announces US blockade of Strait of Hormuz

The US plans to block ‘all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports’ starting on Monday.

Japan’s Middle East oil habit gets an Iran war reality check

Almost all of Japan’s oil comes from the Middle East. A closed strait turned that dependence into a trap.

US presses Iran as talks gear up in Pakistan under fragile ceasefire

Vice-President J.D. Vance to lead negotiations in Islamabad as Tehran sets preconditions, Trump warns of military action if diplomacy fails.

US-Iran talks leave Gulf states on edge about the price of peace

The six GCC nations worry that the US will prioritise Tehran’s needs and leave the Gulf monarchies vulnerable to Iranian retaliation.

Yuan tokens and oil-linked fees? China experts propose ‘innovative’ Hormuz tolls

Analysts warn Trump’s ‘joint venture’ plan with Iran could formalise grey zone, while Beijing balances roles as mediator, energy importer.

Strait of Hormuz: is a Trump‑Iran joint venture really possible?

With regime change increasingly out of reach, the US president may pivot towards a business deal with Tehran’s fractured leadership.

Thailand confirms deaths of 3 cargo ship crew in Gulf attack

The Thai-flagged ship was struck on March 11 while travelling through the Gulf waterway.

French detainees back in Paris after ‘terrible ordeal’ in Iran

The pair had been under house arrest at the French embassy in Tehran ever since being freed from more than three years in prison in November.

Iran allows 2 French former detainees to leave country

The green light for them to leave Iran, long sought by France, signalled how Iran is differentiating between nations amid the Iran war.

Iran ‘does not forget its friends’ as Malaysia-linked ships pass through Hormuz

The move signals Tehran’s use of access to Hormuz as leverage, analysts say, while drawing scrutiny over Malaysia’s oil transfers.

‘A whole civilisation will die tonight’: Donald Trump heightens Iran threats

Ahead of ‘complete demolition’ deadline, two sides face trust deficit and see no acceptable guarantor between them, analysts say.

Opinion | For Gulf states, geography is both a generous and treacherous patron

Sandwiched between Iran and Israel, oil-rich transport hubs like the UAE now face the fragility of their newly built economic prosperity.

‘Damage control’? Behind France, Germany’s bid to contain Iran war oil fallout

The European powers are leading calls for de-escalation but analyst notes ‘the age of soft power as a substitute for hard capacity is over’.

Japan’s Takaichi seeks urgent summit with Iran as Trump’s Hormuz deadline looms

Japan has been bearing the brunt of the Iran war as the resource-poor nation relies on the Middle East for most of its crude oil imports.

Trump draws criticism with fiery, foul-mouthed message threatening Iran

US president appears to extend deadline to Tuesday for Iran to ‘make a deal’ or he’s ‘blowing everything up’.

As I see it | The twilight of US hegemony and Israeli expansionism

The war in Iran is speeding the world towards a multipolar system.

Opinion | Passage through the Strait of Hormuz is a right in war and peace

Exclusive | Hong Kong-flagged tanker passes through Strait of Hormuz in test of US blockade