Sultan of Oman begins state visit to Britain as Gulf state plays pivotal role in Strait of Hormuz

King Charles III will host Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tarik at Windsor Castle on Tuesday for the start of a three-day state visit as Britain seeks to strengthen ties with a strategically important ally caught between the United States and Iran in their ongoing war.

The sultan will receive a royal gun salute and travel by carriage through Windsor before attending a state banquet at the castle on Tuesday evening.

On Wednesday, he is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Andy Burnham and address business leaders in London before leaving Britain the following day.

Oman lies on the western shore of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route connecting the Persian Gulf to global markets. Its strategic position has made the country important to international efforts to restore the flow of oil through the waterway.

The former British protectorate, which gained independence in 1951, has sought to maintain neutrality in the conflict between Washington and Tehran and has worked to broker a peace agreement. However, Iran has targeted Oman with drones and missiles.

US President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Oman in August after Iran said it had reached an agreement with its neighbour on shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz.

Burnham’s office said the sultan briefed the prime minister on the situation in the strait during a telephone conversation on Monday. The two leaders also discussed peace talks held in Pakistan over the weekend and called on both sides to resolve the conflict without further escalation.

“The prime minister also reiterated the UK’s commitment to ensuring Oman’s security,” his office said in a statement.

Britain has maintained close military ties with Oman since its independence. Royal Air Force officers and non-commissioned officers continue to serve in various roles in the Omani air force, while the British naval base at Duqm, on Oman’s Arabian Sea coast, supports UK military operations across the Persian Gulf region.