Oman's Neutrality and Shifting Tensions in the US-Iran Conflict

The United States just isn't okay with Oman staying neutral in the Iran war. They're pushing Muscat now, demanding a choice. That’s what a report from the Wall Street Journal is saying.

Back when the US-Iran conflict kicked off, officials in Oman really scrambled. They tried to open a back channel with Tehran. And apparently, that helped Gulf states reopen those flight corridors. A diplomatic win, all thanks to Muscat sticking to its neutral line.

But three months later? That neutrality is actually hurting Oman. America is reading Oman’s whole approach to Iran as being hostile to America. It’s a real backfire.

Now, things got really sharp. US and Arab officials are saying Washington is putting serious pressure on Oman. They want Muscat to ditch Iran entirely.

Then there was the stuff about the Strait of Hormuz. In the last few days, President Trump actually threatened to sanction and bomb Oman. This came after some new intelligence suggested Iran was looking into a joint deal with Oman to charge ships fees passing through the Strait. This was despite warnings from the Trump administration about imposing charges in that vital waterway.

Trump warned Oman, which is an ally, don't sign anything with Iran about controlling Hormuz, or expect bombings from America.

The Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, also stepped in. He warned that sanctions would hit Oman if they charged ships for passage through the strait.

But then there’s the response. When asked about the pressure to cut ties with Iran, Oman’s Information Minister, Abdulla Al-Harrasi, said they were ready to work with the US and partners to keep things stable. To deter disruption. To protect shared interests.

It’s a tightrope walk, really. During the fighting, Oman tried to balance things. The US, their long-standing partner, and Iran, their neighbor across the Strait of Hormuz. That balancing act? It’s getting harder. Supporting the US too much could invite retaliation, just like the attacks Iran directed at other Gulf states during that whole mess.

Muscat, which acted like a middleman during the nuclear talks, managed to avoid directly blaming Tehran for shipping disruptions or the missile and drone attacks everywhere.

As the fighting ramped up, Oman’s Foreign Minister, Badr Albusaidi, publicly suggested the conflict was wrecking regional security. He hinted that Gulf nations needed to rethink how much they relied on US-led security setups.

Iran didn't push Oman as hard as it did other Gulf states during the conflict, though.

And look at the logistics. Arab and US officials noted that Omani territory was used for some limited logistical support for American military operations early on. But a US official downplayed that assistance, calling it modest.

Then there was the nuclear angle. US officials felt things were shifting. Concerns about Muscat started bubbling up just before the first joint US-Israeli airstrikes. They pointed to what Oman's foreign minister had said in a US interview. He basically said an aGreement on nuclear issues was possible if diplomacy just got space to breathe.

US officials disaGreed. They felt negotiations weren't that far along. Iran hadn't presented anything meaningful to stop its nuclear activities yet.

Since then, the Trump administration tried to pull Oman out of the diplomatic spotlight. They said there was no plan to target Oman because of its backing of Iran. Even though Trump had made those comments in a Cabinet meeting last week.

But the shift in relations with Washington caught the Omani leaders completely off guard. Arab officials noted that authorities in Muscat are now figuring out what to do, weighing the implications of this sudden change.

Oman’s handling of things drew heat. Not just from the US. The UAE and Saudi Arabia, for instance, see Muscat as being way too close to Tehran.

Tensions flared because Oman repeatedly refused to join joint statements where the US and other regional governments condemned the Iranian attacks. They kept quiet about blaming Iran even after drones hit Omani ports, just acknowledging the incidents.

Omani Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said did something notable too. He was the only Gulf leader to congratulate Mojtaba Khamenei after he became Iran's supreme leader following his father's death.

The Information Minister kept pushing this narrative: in a volatile region, leadership means keeping lines open. Preventing escalation. That’s what they argued for, even when the whole situation felt messy.