Oman played both sides — until it didn’t. How a secret shipping deal ignited the Strait of Hormuz

Oman’s strategy of calculated neutrality has run out of road. Long celebrated as a quiet diplomatic bridge between Washington and Tehran, Muscat has shattered its careful balancing act. A desperate attempt to revive a paralyzed shipping economy has transformed Oman into a central participant in a military conflict between the United States and Iran. The…