US forces said they defeated an overnight wave of missile and drone attacks launched by Iran towards Gulf states and civilian shipping, while carrying out self-defence strikes on military sites on Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz. The confrontation marked a sharp escalation in a conflict already threatening energy flows, maritime security and diplomatic efforts to contain hostilities across the Gulf. US Central Command said its […]
Russia has imposed a temporary ban on aviation fuel exports until 30 November, tightening control over domestic supplies as repeated Ukrainian attacks on refineries and energy infrastructure strain the country’s fuel system. The measure, announced by the Russian government on Monday, is aimed at stabilising the internal aviation fuel market after a series of refinery disruptions affected output across several regions. The restriction covers aviation kerosene and […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they targeted a US-linked airbase after American strikes hit military sites on Iran’s Gulf coast, adding fresh pressure to a fragile ceasefire that has failed to stop intermittent exchanges between Washington and Tehran. The latest confrontation followed US military strikes on radar, drone control and launch facilities near Qeshm Island and Goruk after the downing of an American MQ-1 […]
Russia-linked cyber operators tracked as GREYVIBE have used generative artificial intelligence tools including ChatGPT and Google Gemini to widen cyber-espionage operations against Ukraine-linked targets, signalling a shift in how lower-skilled threat groups can build lures, malware and infrastructure at speed. The activity, active since at least August 2025, has targeted military, government, civilian and business-related organisations through phishing emails, fake verification pages, fraudulent websites and custom malware. […]
Several Americans were injured and two MQ-9 Reaper drones were badly damaged after an Iranian ballistic missile aimed at Kuwait’s Ali Al Salem Air Base was intercepted by Kuwaiti air defences, sharpening doubts over a fragile US-Iran ceasefire as President Donald Trump weighs whether to extend the truce. The Fateh-110 missile was brought down before reaching its target, but falling debris struck the air base, causing minor […]
Kuwait’s air defence systems intercepted hostile missile and drone threats aimed at its airspace early on Thursday, the Kuwaiti Army’s General Staff said, as the Gulf state moved to contain security risks from widening regional military tensions. The military said its systems were responding to a wave of missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles attempting to penetrate the country’s airspace. It did not identify the source of the […]
Kuwait’s air defence systems intercepted hostile missiles and drones targeting its airspace early Thursday, triggering loud explosions across parts of the country but causing no casualties or damage, the army said, as Gulf states remained on high alert amid a volatile security environment. The General Staff of the Kuwaiti Army said air defence units detected multiple aerial threats attempting to enter national airspace and dealt with them […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Washington carried out defensive strikes against Iranian drone operations near the Strait of Hormuz after what it described as imminent threats to American forces and commercial shipping, deepening strain around one of the world’s most important oil transit routes while both sides claim they remain committed to a ceasefire. US forces shot down four one-way attack drones and struck a ground control station […]
Brussels faces resistance from Germany and Spain over a proposed EU-wide move to force telecom operators to remove Huawei and ZTE equipment from critical networks, exposing a rift between the European Commission’s security agenda and national concerns over cost, timing and market disruption. Officials in Berlin and Madrid are pushing back against plans that would turn the EU’s existing 5G security guidance into binding law, arguing that […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Washington is pressing ahead with claims of progress toward a peace deal with Tehran, even as fresh US strikes on targets in southern Iran and renewed uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz exposed the fragility of efforts to end a war approaching its third month. The latest flare-up came after US forces struck what they described as missile launch sites and mine-laying boats, […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai United Nations Security Council members have unanimously condemned a drone strike on the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra region, warning that any attack on a civilian nuclear facility carries grave risks for human life, critical infrastructure and the environment. The 15-member council said the strike on an electricity generator outside the plant’s inner perimeter amounted to “a flagrant violation […]
The renewed memorandum of understanding was signed on 25 May by Rear Admiral Saif bin Nasser Al Rahbi, Commander of the Royal Navy of Oman and Chairman of the Maritime Security Committee, and G. V. Srinivas, India’s Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman. Oman was represented by the Maritime Security Centre, underlining the agreement’s operational focus on maritime safety, information-sharing and cooperation at sea.
The renewal keeps in place a mechanism that has gained importance as shipping routes through the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz face heightened risks from regional conflict, trafficking networks, drone threats, piracy-linked activity and disruptions to commercial navigation. For both countries, maritime security is tied not only to defence cooperation but also to energy flows, trade resilience and the protection of expatriate and commercial links across the Gulf.
The agreement aims to sustain joint cooperation and facilitate the exchange of expertise in maritime security, with the stated objective of contributing to the safety and security of maritime navigation. Its scope fits into a wider pattern of bilateral defence engagement involving naval interaction, coast guard cooperation, training, port calls, high-level meetings and operational contact between maritime agencies.
Oman’s location gives the pact strategic weight. The Sultanate sits close to the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of the world’s seaborne oil trade passes, and faces the Arabian Sea, a route connecting the Gulf with East Africa, South Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific. India’s energy imports, diaspora links and commercial shipping make stability in these waters a central security interest.
The renewed document also reflects a continuity in defence ties that have developed through structured mechanisms over two decades. India and Oman have maintained regular military cooperation, including joint committee meetings, staff-level exchanges and service-to-service engagement. Earlier maritime arrangements between the two sides covered cooperation against crimes at sea, including piracy, armed robbery, arms trafficking, drug smuggling, illegal immigration and people-smuggling by sea.
Coast guard engagement has become a practical arm of that relationship. The Indian Coast Guard and Royal Oman Police Coast Guard have used high-level meetings to discuss capacity-building, cross-ship visits, the Sea Rider programme, pollution-reporting links and cooperation against transnational illegal activity at sea. Such measures are aimed at creating working-level familiarity before crises emerge, particularly in areas where law-enforcement, search-and-rescue and environmental response overlap.
The agreement comes as maritime security has moved higher on the regional agenda. Attacks on merchant vessels in and around the Red Sea, tensions linked to the Israel-Gaza war, risks around Iran-linked flashpoints and the vulnerability of energy shipping have pushed Gulf and Indian Ocean states to strengthen coordination. Oman has also positioned itself as a diplomatic and maritime actor with an interest in keeping sea lanes open while maintaining dialogue with multiple regional powers.
For India, Oman remains one of its closest defence partners in the Gulf. Access, trust and geography make the relationship important for deployments, evacuation contingencies, anti-piracy coordination and wider maritime domain awareness. Oman has historically provided India with a reliable western Indian Ocean partner, while Muscat benefits from deeper technical, training and operational interaction with a major naval power.
The security renewal also sits alongside a growing economic relationship. Bilateral trade has crossed the $10 billion mark, and the two countries signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement in December 2025 to expand market access for goods and services. The trade pact gave exports from India zero-duty access across most Omani tariff lines, while New Delhi agreed tariff reductions covering a large share of imports from Oman by value.
That economic backdrop makes maritime security more than a defence concern. Smooth shipping flows affect energy supplies, fertilisers, minerals, food products, pharmaceuticals, textiles and engineering goods. Oman’s ports and logistics infrastructure are also relevant to India’s westward trade links, particularly as supply chains adjust to geopolitical tensions and route disruptions.
The renewed memorandum is expected to support more sustained institutional contact between the two sides rather than a one-off diplomatic gesture. Its emphasis on expertise-sharing suggests cooperation may cover surveillance practices, response protocols, training modules, information exchange and coordination against illegal activities at sea. It also offers a framework for strengthening maritime navigation safety at a time when commercial vessels increasingly require layered protection across contested waters.
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Fragile ceasefire efforts in Doha are facing a sharper test after United States forces struck military targets in southern Iran and Israel signalled expanded operations against Hizbollah in Lebanon, injecting fresh uncertainty into negotiations aimed at ending a wider West Asia conflict. US forces hit Iranian missile launch sites and boats suspected of laying mines near the Strait of Hormuz, describing the action […]
For many Pakistani families residing across the GCC, conversations around long-term residency planning have started to change in recent months. While the UAE remains one of the world’s leading destinations for expatriates and international business, broader regional developments appear to be pushing more families to think about what additional long-term options may look like outside the region. The Strait of Hormuz has once again become part of […]
California Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency in Orange County after an overheating chemical storage tank at a Garden Grove aerospace facility raised fears of an explosion, toxic release or hazardous spill affecting tens of thousands of residents. The emergency proclamation covers a GKN Aerospace site where a tank holding roughly 5,000 to 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate began heating and emitting fumes on […]
Matein Khalid US President Donald Trump’s recent state visit to China has done little to end the stalemate in the Strait of Hormuz. If anything, Iran appears to have been emboldened enough to escalate Gulf tensions through drone strikes near the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in Abu Dhabi and rocket attacks targeting sites in Saudi Arabia. Brent crude trading at about $110 a barrel has coincided with a brutal sell-off […]
Ras Al Khaimah’s first university research and innovation awards have drawn 189 submissions, giving the emirate a new platform to connect student ideas with national priorities in technology, sustainability, healthcare and advanced industry. The inaugural RAK Award for Excellence in University Research and Innovation 2026, organised by the American University of Ras Al Khaimah, brought together entries from 20 universities across the UAE. Of those, 94 projects […]
Russian state-backed cyber groups are broadening their entry points into targeted networks, using remote access services, stolen credentials, compromised suppliers and tailored social engineering to penetrate government, critical infrastructure and commercial systems. The pattern marks a shift from single-vector intrusions towards layered access operations designed to look like ordinary business activity. Remote Desktop Protocol, virtual private network accounts, cloud identities, internet-facing routers, edge devices and third-party service […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Dubai has approved a second economic incentive package worth AED1.5 billion, lifting the value of support measures introduced in under two months to AED2.5 billion as the emirate moves to ease cost pressures on businesses and strengthen activity across key sectors. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence and Chairman of The […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Abu Dhabi’s push to build a crude export route outside the Strait of Hormuz has moved to the centre of Gulf energy security after ADNOC said its new West-East Pipeline is about halfway complete and on course to expand shipments through Fujairah by 2027. The project, being fast-tracked under the direction of Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of […]
Tehran has moved to turn the Strait of Hormuz crisis into a new insurance and payments channel, with an Iran-linked platform branded Hormuz Safe offering maritime cargo cover tied to cryptocurrency settlement for vessels using the strategic waterway. The initiative targets shipowners, charterers and cargo interests facing sharply higher war-risk costs, disrupted routing and mounting legal uncertainty across a corridor that remains central to global energy trade. […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Tehran’s state broadcasting apparatus has drawn Gulf attention after a presenter fired at a target bearing the UAE flag during a televised firearms training segment, an on-air act that added a provocative media dimension to sharpening tensions between Iran and Abu Dhabi. The segment, aired on the state-run Ofogh TV network, showed a firearms instructor guiding the presenter through the handling of a […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Abu Dhabi authorities contained a fire at an external electrical generator outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in Al Dhafra after a drone-linked incident, with officials reporting no injuries, no radiological impact and no disruption to essential nuclear safety systems. The incident drew swift attention because Barakah is the Arab world’s first commercial nuclear power station and a central […]
Washington’s defence establishment is confronting a sharper supply-chain warning after President Donald Trump left Beijing claiming major trade progress, while China kept key controls on materials vital to US weapons, aircraft, satellites and advanced electronics. Trump ended his two-day visit by declaring that he had reached “fantastic trade deals” with President Xi Jinping, saying the understandings would benefit both economies. The commercial package pointed to tariff discussions, […]
