As Gandhi said: “Interdependence is and ought to be as much the ideal of man as self-sufficiency.”
He may not have been thinking of energy security. But the signature of a gas pipeline deal during the Iranian president Hassan Rouhani's recent visit to Oman shows the importance of mutual interests in energy diplomacy.
From Oman’s point of view, the pipeline is of crucial importance. It will carry 1 billion cubic feet per day of gas from Rudan in southern Iran, across the Gulf of Oman to the petrochemical centre of Sohar.
Oman today produces a little less than 3 billion cubic ft per day. But its domestic gas demand is rising sharply, and a new US$15bn industrial zone at Duqm on the south-east coast will boost consumption further.
The Sultanate’s liquefied natural gas plant has been running below capacity because of shortages of feedstock, losing valuable export revenues. By 2018, BP’s Khazzan field is expected to deliver a further 1 billion cubic ft, but it is a technically challenging and expensive project that might easily suffer delays.
Diplomatically, Mr Rouhani's offer can be seen in two ways. It may be another cunning ploy to divide the GCC, after the recent dispute between Qatar on the one hand and Saudi Arabia and the UAE on the other. Oman has played an important mediating role in US diplomacy with Iran and has long been discussing gas imports with Tehran.
In a more positive light, the pipeline deal could be seen as an outreach from Iran to build more constructive relations with the GCC. All of its Arab neighbours, bar Qatar, have at some point discussed buying Iranian gas.
The pipeline still faces some significant challenges. Oman is supposed to finance the $1bn cost of its section. Although not the most technically challenging project, the pipeline will have to cross waters of several hundred metres’ depth in the Gulf of Oman. International financial institutions and engineering contractors will not take part until sanctions on Iran are substantially eased.
The Omanis will remember previous failures, such as the Iranian pipeline to Sharjah that never delivered gas, dogged by technical failures and allegations of corruption and under-pricing. A pipeline to Pakistan remains incomplete as sanctions prevent the Pakistanis’ financing their half.
Rudan is not yet connected to the Iranian gas network, and it is not clear which fields will source the new gas. Most crucially, the price of that gas has not yet been agreed, the same problem that has dogged all previous Iranian gas deals, and one that makes Mr Rouhani’s “signature” rather theoretical. It’s like negotiating your new house’s wallpaper and the plants in the garden before discussing the purchase price.
In the past, Iran has always priced its gas too expensively, given its neighbours’ concerns over dependence on it, its somewhat shaky reliability on deliveries to its main customer Turkey, and the complications of sanctions. It remains to be seen this time whether Tehran can concede on price to gain a valuable economic and political success.
This deal also illustrates the dictum of Gandhi’s great adversary, Winston Churchill, that for energy security, “Safety and certainty lie in variety and variety alone”. Oman does not want to rely only on Qatar or its new unconventional gas resources. A deal with Iran creates a competitive dynamic the Omanis can use against other potential suppliers.
Even before the United States got started, Iran had sanctioned itself – by its failure to sign mutually beneficial deals with its neighbours. Although the sultanate may appear to grow more dependent on the Islamic Republic, the reverse is also true. “Energy independence” is a mirage – true security is assured by a network of inter-relationships.
Robin Mills is the head of consulting at Manaar Energy and author of The Myth of the Oil Crisis
8 traditional Jamaican dishes to try at Kingston 21
- Trench Town Rock: Jamaican-style curry goat served in a pastry basket with a carrot and potato garnish
- Rock Steady Jerk Chicken: chicken marinated for 24 hours and slow-cooked on the grill
- Mento Oxtail: flavoured oxtail stewed for five hours with herbs
- Ackee and salt fish: the national dish of Jamaica makes for a hearty breakfast
- Jamaican porridge: another breakfast favourite, can be made with peanut, cornmeal, banana and plantain
- Jamaican beef patty: a pastry with ground beef filling
- Hellshire Pon di Beach: Fresh fish with pickles
- Out of Many: traditional sweet potato pudding
Non-oil%20trade
%3Cp%3ENon-oil%20trade%20between%20the%20UAE%20and%20Japan%20grew%20by%2034%20per%20cent%20over%20the%20past%20two%20years%2C%20according%20to%20data%20from%20the%20Federal%20Competitiveness%20and%20Statistics%20Centre.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIn%2010%20years%2C%20it%20has%20reached%20a%20total%20of%20Dh524.4%20billion.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ECars%20topped%20the%20list%20of%20the%20top%20five%20commodities%20re-exported%20to%20Japan%20in%202022%2C%20with%20a%20value%20of%20Dh1.3%20billion.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EJewellery%20and%20ornaments%20amounted%20to%20Dh150%20million%20while%20precious%20metal%20scraps%20amounted%20to%20Dh105%20million.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERaw%20aluminium%20was%20ranked%20first%20among%20the%20top%20five%20commodities%20exported%20to%20Japan.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETop%20of%20the%20list%20of%20commodities%20imported%20from%20Japan%20in%202022%20was%20cars%2C%20with%20a%20value%20of%20Dh20.08%20billion.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Brolliology: A History of the Umbrella in Life and Literature
By Marion Rankine
Melville House
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
