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Oman is buddy to all, enemy to none, turned into as soon as brokering peace between US and Iran: Why haven’t Gulf nations retaliated? What occurs to Islamic nations’ unity? Defined
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Oman, previously stable attributable to its neutrality, turned into as soon as hit by Iranian forces acting by myself. The assault disrupted regional unity, driving Gulf states nearer to the West, nonetheless they steer clear of retaliation to quit broader warfare and economic disaster.
Smoke billows out from a Palau-flagged oil tanker with 15 Indian crew contributors after it got right here below assault from the Iranian military off Oman’s Musandam peninsula. (PTI)
Oman on the beginning stood as the best Gulf sigh spared from Iran’s retaliatory campaign in conserving with the US-Israel strikes that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
On the opposite hand, as the war expanded, even this mediator chanced on itself below fire, exposing a profound disconnect between Iran’s diplomatic and military wings.
What came about to Oman’s shield of neutrality? What has changed? Why Arab countries haven’t attacked Iran no topic being hit, explained
OMAN: SWITZERLAND OF THE MIDDLE EAST
Oman is on the total known as the ‘Switzerland of the Center East’ or the ‘Switzerland of Arabia’ attributable to its prolonged-standing international policy of “buddy to all, enemy to none”.
Hours before the US-Israeli strikes on February 28, Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi was brokering what he described as “unprecedented progress” in nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran.
On the beginning keep aside, Oman remained untouched by the missile barrages that struck Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, and Qatar.
This immunity turned into as soon as because now not like its neighbours, Oman does now now not host fundamental eternal US strive against hubs historical for the initial strikes on Iran. Furthermore, a 50-year security partnership, dating succor to Iranian enhance at some point soon of the Dhofar insurrection, has maintained institutional believe even after the 1979 Revolution.
Hours earlier than the US-Israeli strikes on February 28, 2026, Omani International Minister Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi turned into as soon as brokering what he described as “remarkable progress” in nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran.
THE STRIKE ON THE MEDIATOR
However, the immunity didn’t last for long. On March 1 and 2, 2026, when Iranian drones and projectiles targeted the Port of Duqm and vessels off the Omani coast.
‘NOT THE GOVERNMENT’S CHOICE’: DECODING IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER’S DEFENCE
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi remarkably claimed these strikes were “not the government’s choice”. Araghchi instructed Al Jazeera that Iranian military items were acting “independently and by hook or by crook remoted” based on general prior instructions, rather than specific diplomatic directives.
Despite the diplomatic apology, analysts suggest the IRGC intended to send a clear message: in this “total war” no stable havens exist, and mediation offers no protection.
FRAGMENTED UNITY AMONG MUSLIM NATIONS
The concentrated on of a neutral Arab mediator has highlighted the fragile unity within the Muslim world. While Oman entreated for “inclusive dialogue” and warned that Israel is the primary source of regional insecurity, other Gulf nations like Bahrain and the UAE have increasingly viewed Israel as a strategic partner against Iran.
Iran’s strategy of “ratcheting up the pain” on Gulf states—including the closure of the Strait of Hormuz—is supposed to force them to tension the US to total the war. Rather then unifying the location against the US-Israeli campaign, the strikes on civilian infrastructure and mediators like Oman are reportedly pushing Gulf capitals into nearer military alignment with the West for defense.
As of March 3, 2026, the warfare has compelled all regional actors to make a decision sides, successfully ending the expertise the keep aside a nation is steadily a “buddy to all” in the Persian Gulf.
Oman was initially spared due to its lack of offensive US bases and its role as a key mediator, but was eventually struck by Iranian military units acting independently of their own foreign ministry’s diplomatic goals. This escalation has shattered the “mediator’s shield” and deepened the divide between Muslim nations, as Iran uses strikes on civilian and neutral targets to tension its neighbours into abandoning their ties with the West.
WHY ARAB COUNTRIES HAVEN’T ATTACKED IRAN DESPITE BEING HIT
Arab countries admire refrained from roar military retaliation against Iran basically attributable to a strategic calculation that favors containment over a devastating regional war. No topic facing fundamental strikes on vitality facilities, airports, and civilian infrastructure, Gulf leaders are balancing loads of serious components:
Economic Vulnerability: Gulf economies—carefully reckoning on oil exports, tourism, and global shipping—shall be the most well-known to interrupt down in a extended warfare. Strikes admire already hit the Aramco refinery in Saudi Arabia and vitality hubs in Qatar, price ing that roar war would perhaps well well completely cripple their national visions for the longer term.
Disaster of Inner Chaos: Analysts counsel Gulf policymakers bother a total give plan of the Iranian sigh extra than its most common hostility. An imploding Iran would perhaps well well trigger massive refugee flows and empower uncontrollable splinter militias at some point soon of the location.
The ‘Muslim Ummah’ Ingredient: Arab leaders are cautious of being perceived as combating alongside Israel against one other Muslim nation. Within the wake of the assassination of a famed Shia leader, any roar Arab strike shall be framed by Tehran as “slavery to the West,” potentially sparking domestic unrest within Sunni-majority states.
U.S. Alliance Management: While these states host U.S. bases, President Trump has indicated that direct participation from Gulf allies in offensive strikes is not currently required. This has allowed Gulf capitals to maintain a “defensive only” posture, shielding them from being labeled tubby opponents.
Defensive Focal point: Most Gulf states are for the time being prioritizing the preservation of their air-defense stockpiles, which shall be being rapid depleted by Iranian drone swarms.
Iran’s “Full Battle” Threats: Iranian military sources have explicitly threatened to target the “palaces of kings” and civilian heartlands if Arab regimes be a half of the offensive, a stage of roar threat that virtually all Gulf monarchies are unwilling to confirm.
The Characteristic of Mediators: Even after being hit, nations like Oman and Qatar proceed to articulate that the “door to diplomacy stays birth”. They view themselves as essential bridges that will be needed to negotiate an eventual ceasefire, a role that would be permanently destroyed by a retaliatory strike.
With Agency Inputs
First Published:
March 03, 2026, 17:09 IST
News explainers Why Oman, A US-Iran Mediator, Eventually Faced Tehran’s Strikes: Will Gulf Nations Retaliate?
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