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With a change of leadership, more macroeconomy savvy approach and an embrace of new technologies, Oman has found a private sector-led recipe for diversification that should prepare it for life beyond hydrocarbons dependence.

Muscat has signed a contract to delivery 1m t/yr of liquified natural gas (LNG) to United Kingdom-based energy major BP. The agreement was signed by Oman LNG on 21 November and will run for nine years, starting in 2026.

Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq Al-Said presided over the opening of the eighth term of the Council of Oman (parliament) on 14 November. On 18 November, he reviewed a miliary parade at Adam Air Base in Dakhiliya Governorate, held to mark Oman's 53rd National Day.

Omani officials appear confident that, despite international diplomatic attention having largely switched to the Gaza conflict, a peace settlement can be achieved soon between the warring factions in Yemen and Saudi Arabia, with all parties now appearing to recognise that ending the civil war is in their overwhelming political interest.

Omani officials told GSN that the failure to achieve a settlement to the Israel/Palestinian conflict was nurturing radicalisation and undermining the prospects for resolving other political problems across the Middle East.

Oman's Sultan Haitham Al-Said appointed new governors to three of the sultanate's 11 provinces:  Masoud Said Hashim Al-Hashmi for South Al-Batinah, Mahmoud Yahya Sulaiman Al-Thuhli for North Al-Sharqiyah, and Sheikh Ahmed Musallam Suhail Jidad Al-Kithiri for Al-Wusta. 

Sheikh Theyab Bin Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, son of UAE President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, travelled to Muscat in early November.

Even before the new Gaza war shattered comfortable assumptions about regional security, the global economic climate had been hostile, as shown in analysis of the International Monetary Fund's new reports on the global outlook and regional economic performance.

There have been public protests in a number of countries around the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) in support of Palestinians and against Israeli actions in Gaza, but in many countries they have been limited in scope. Huge crowds have taken to the streets in capitals from Rabat to Baghdad, but there have been no major events in the countries where the public space is most tightly controlled, such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Gas privatisation: Shares in state energy firm OQ’s gas pipelines business OQ Gas Network (OQGN) began trading on the Muscat Stock Exchange on 24 October. OQGN had raised OR288m ($750m) in its initial public offering of 49% of its shares, making it Oman’s largest IPO, ahead of previous front-runner Oman Telecoms Company, which floated in 2005.

China's People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy has used a routine rotation of its ships based in Djibouti to double its presence in the region, just as the United States Navy is preparing to deploy its first aircraft carrier strike group (CSG) to the region for two years.

Sheikh Mubarak Bin Fahad Bin Jassim Bin Mohammed Al-Thani was named as Qatar's ambassador to Oman. Mubarak has previously served as ambassador to Azerbaijan (2008-14) and Serbia (2015-21).

Official statements from the Gulf monarchies have called for de-escalation and international mediation between Hamas and Israel, but there have been notable differences in where blame has been apportioned.

Oman Investment Authority (OIA) has set up the €100m ($106m) Spain Oman Private Equity Fund (Sopef) II with the Spanish government’s development finance institution Compañía Española de Financiación del Desarrollo (Cofides). The move extends a relationship which began with Sopef I launched in 2018 which is now almost fully invested and comes amid a number of recent international deals by the Omani fund.

Oman's State Audit Institution (SAI) director general Sharifa Bint Yahya Al-Mahrouqiyya said more than 30 civil servants had been found guilty of corruption and embezzlement last year. Speaking during a local television interview, she outlined details from her organisation’s annual report for 2022.