Iranian drones struck a major oil depot in Oman, another strike against a country long viewed as a friend to Tehran and a crucial mediator in regional relations.
Oman had been spared from Iranian attacks after two drone strikes that hit the port town of Duqm on March 1 and March 3. The semi-truce was broken on Wednesday, when Iran launched at least two waves of drone strikes against Oman. The first wave, targeting the port town of Duqm, was unsuccessful, with one drone intercepted and the other crashing into the sea. The second attack, targeting the port city of Salalah, was successful, with videos showing at least three fuel tanks on fire. Salalah is located in Oman’s far south, the furthest away from Iran.
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No casualties were reported in either strike.
“The competent authorities are exerting all efforts to monitor and counter these treacherous attacks, safeguarding the security of the homeland, citizens, and residents,” the state media Oman News Agency said.
Right after the strike, Omani Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said held a call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. It’s unknown if the call was connected to the strike.
A readout from the Oman News Agency said that during the call, “the bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to strengthen them were reviewed, alongside discussions on the latest developments and evolving current situations, as well as the efforts being made to reduce escalation.”
A veiled reference to the strikes was made when Al Said “affirmed the Sultanate of Oman’s neutral stance, and the Sultanate of Oman’s dissatisfaction and condemnation of the ongoing attacks targeting its territories, while confirming its adoption of all necessary measures to preserve its security and stability.”
Pezeshkian’s hold on power has come under question during the war with Israel and the United States, as his public rhetoric has contradicted the actions of the Iranian military. This was best illustrated last week, when he apologized for Iran’s drone attacks against its neighbors, then quickly backtracked after hard-liner criticisms.
“I must apologise on my own behalf and on behalf of Iran to the neighbouring countries that were attacked by Iran,” Pezeshkian said, only to backtrack hours later and insist Iran had not actually attacked its “friendly and neighbouring countries.”
Previous strikes on Oman may have been caused by Iran’s “Mosaic Defense,” its strategy of delegating strike authority to local commanders to allow the military to function in the face of decapitation strikes. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi said as much on the second day of the conflict, saying the decision to strike Oman was a mistake and was undertaken by lower commanders, rather than from Tehran itself.
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“What happened in Oman was not our choice,” he told Al Jazeera on March 1, referring to a drone attack on Oman. “We have already told our Armed Forces to be careful about the targets they choose. Our military units are now, in fact, independent and somewhat isolated, and they are acting based on general instructions given to them in advance.”
Another theory is that the attacks, specifically targeting oil infrastructure, were intentional and part of Tehran’s strategy to inflict maximum economic damage to the world in an effort to pressure Washington and Jerusalem to end their assault. Iran has begun targeting oil infrastructure throughout the region and is attempting to close the Strait of Hormuz, sending oil prices skyrocketing. On Tuesday, it attacked and temporarily disabled the largest oil refinery in the Middle East, which is located in the United Arab Emirates.
Iran has attacked no fewer than 10 countries that proclaimed their neutrality in the current war, breaking Nazi Germany’s record during World War II. While some have defended the attacks as justified due to a U.S. military presence in most of these countries, attacks on Oman have stood out due to its lack of a U.S. presence and its central role in negotiations.
Oman has continued its neutral role despite the attacks, with Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al Busaidi recently denouncing the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran as “immoral and illegal,” but buttressing this by saying Iran’s “response to its neighbours is extremely regrettable and unacceptable.”
The Iranian attacks against Oman are particularly notable, as the country had been shifting from a neutral mediator to a more direct pro-Iran stance. Mahdi Ghuloom, a junior fellow in geopolitics at the Observer Research Foundation, wrote in November that Oman was using its position in the Gulf Cooperation Council to push for an end to Iran’s isolation and containment.
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Al Busaidi criticized the GCC’s stance toward Iran in November, saying that “over the years, the GCC has at best stepped back and permitted the isolation of Iran. I believe this needs to change, and it needs to change now.” He urged “inclusive dialogue” and “engagement,” rather than “containment” with Iran, a major break from the predominant hostility toward Iran within the GCC.
Anti-Iranian regime activists have even gone so far as to accuse Oman of actively supporting the Islamic Republic, allegedly supporting its economy through providing sanctions evasion channels, covert trade, and financial back channels.