Oman’s diplomatic role ignored
Trump prioritises Gulf wealth
Oman’s economy can’t compete
Oman may have negotiated a ceasefire between the US and Yemen’s Houthis, and is the go-between the US and Iran in negotiations around nuclear weapons capability. But it is not among the countries President Donald Trump is visiting in the Arabian Gulf this week.
“These Gulf countries Trump is currently visiting are offering trillions of dollars of investments to him, which Oman cannot match, as it’s currently struggling to straighten out its economy,” Saud Al-Hashmi, Managing Director of Capital Investments, based in Muscat, told AGBI.
Trump is in Saudi Arabia, before travelling onto Qatar and finishing off his three-country tour in the UAE.
Notwithstanding Oman’s central role as a mediator between the US and its long-time foe – Iran – and more recently with the Iranian-backed Houthi militia, the sultanate is not on his travel agenda, despite the proximity.
“In Trump’s book, the three Gulf countries tick all the right boxes,” said Hasan Alhasan, senior fellow for Middle East policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Bahrain. “They pledge to invest trillions in the US economy and spend colossal amounts on US weapons systems.”
Between them, the UAE and Saudi Arabia have offered around $2 trillion in investment and trade with the US over the next decade. Oman, the second smallest economy among the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, has made no such pledge.
Instead, Oman hosted a fourth round of talks last week between U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi aimed at finding agreement around Iran’s nuclear programme.
On May 6, Oman mediated a ceasefire between Houthis and the US, securing assurance that neither side will target the other, including U.S. vessels in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait.
“Trump is using Iran to maximise what he can squeeze from these three Gulf countries, in terms of their wealth,” said Saad Qassim, a partner at Muscat Law Consultancy. “To him, his visit will provide a cash windfall to the US economy, which obviously Oman cannot [provide].”
