Oman took the lead in a behind-the-scenes diplomatic drive involving Qatar, Egypt and Russia that contributed significantly to the Israel-Iran ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump late on Monday, sources told The National.
The talks, which intensified in the 72 hours before the ceasefire announcement, involved creating a channel of communication between Iran and the Trump administration by relaying messages between them, the sources said.
Iran's messages, they said, included thinly veiled threats of using more destructive missiles against Israel and closing the Strait of Hormuz, the world's busiest waterway for oil cargo, at the mouth of the Gulf.
The aerial war between Israel and Iran, which began on June 13 with Israeli air strikes on Iranian nuclear and missile sites, had raised fears of a wider regional conflict. Those fears increased after the US bombed Iran's nuclear sites at the weekend, with Tehran vowing to retaliate by hitting American interests across the region.
Oman and the three other nations urged the Trump administration to act "quickly and decisively", warning that a prolonged war would have disastrous results for the Middle East and beyond, said the sources.
"Oman was by far the most active party in these contacts," said one source. "It has orchestrated the contacts between the Iranians and the Americans, delivering messages from the pair to each other."
Oman, a close US ally that has traditionally maintained good relations with Iran, is a secretive Gulf nation that has over the years mediated between Tehran and Washington, as well as in various regional conflicts.
It has not publicly commented on its role in bringing about the ceasefire and is unlikely to do so.
Qatar, however, acknowledged its role in the process. The Gulf state's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman said on Tuesday that Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim had spoken to Mr Trump to chart a path towards a ceasefire.
"Our friends in the United States proposed that the state of Qatar will initiate communication with the Iranians in order to examine their preparedness," he said. "We initiated communication with the Iranians and then it was followed by the announcement made by the US President."
The ceasefire announcement came hours after Iran launched missiles at the US Al Udeid airbase in Qatar. The attack caused no damage, with all but one of the missiles intercepted. It has, however, sparked condemnation from Qatar and Arab states across the region.
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke to Sheikh Tamim on Tuesday, the Qatari Prime Minister said.
Link Oman, Egypt has said nothing publicly about its role in a ceasefire, but its leader, President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, held phone calls on Sunday with Mr Pezeshkian and the ruler of Oman, Sultan Haitham, Egyptian president's office said.
Egypt's relations with Iran have improved rapidly in recent months after decades of tension dating back to the 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the Shah.
Similarly, Russia has not said anything about its part, but the Kremlin on Tuesday rejected criticism that it had not done enough to back Iran in its war with Israel, saying it had taken a "clear position" by condemning the US and Israeli strikes.
Iran's indirect messages to the Americans in the run-up to Mr Trump's ceasefire announcement included implicit threats that it could hurt Israel much more effectively if it were to use the full range of its arsenal of ballistic missiles and drones, said the sources.
Another message sent by the Iranians said Tehran had potential to withstand a long, drawn-out war, citing its ruinous, eight-year conflict with Iraq in the 1980s.
The Iranians also claimed a prolonged war would invariably leave Tehran little or no choice but to target western and US interests across the world, using its "brigades of martyrs" to carry out attacks.
On a separate track, major west European nations also played a part in the ceasefire effort, the sources said, with most motivated by fear of the effect on their economies if Iran were to make good on its threat to close the Strait of Hormuz.
They said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been reluctant to accept the ceasefire, arguing with the Trump administration that his government's war goals – destroying Iran's nuclear and ballistic capabilities – were not fully met.
However, Mr Netanyahu issued a statement on Tuesday night saying Israel had agreed to Mr Trump's proposal for a ceasefire "in light of the achievement of the operation's goals".
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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.
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.
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Name: Thndr
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Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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Director: Rohit Shetty
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
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AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
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