ABSTRACT
The Omani political and geographic coign of vantage is inevitably somewhat different from those of its GCC partners, although Oman is in principle supportive of its Arab neighbors in the Gulf and doubtless is in earnest in avowing this. Iranian-acquired Chinese Silkworm missiles were positioned on Qishm Island and on the nearby Iranian coast and threatened closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Several Iranian naval craft operate in the Iranian sector of the Strait of Hormuz, and at least one has without seeking permission transited the Omani zone of separation into the Gulf of Oman. Whatever their GCC sympathies may be, they have sought to avoid provoking their Iranian neighbor and have attempted to maintain a posture of neutrality in the management of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The US-Omani association, which began as a commercial interest, goes back to 1790 when the first American vessel touched at Muscat.
