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Sigurd Neubauer works for a northern Virginia-based defense and aerospace consulting firm where he specializes in security developments from the Af-Pak region. His analysis draws on a 2012 presentation given on Omani maritime security policies at the Maritime Security Center of Excellence in Marmaris, Turkey, a NATO-affiliated institute. Neubauer is a frequent commentator on Middle Eastern affairs and has authored two book chapters on Omani maritime security policies.
Oman is strategically positioned across the Gulf of Oman from Iran, north of Yemen, and east of Saudi Arabia. It has arguably been able to secure its rapid economic growth—spurred by oil riches—by maintaining neutral, if not friendly, relations with these neighbors, including Iran. Yet while Oman has successfully kept itself neutral, it still inhabits a precarious location. It shares with Iran the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that Iran has threatened to close due to its charged relations with the GCC countries and the United States, who rely on the Strait to transport oil to world markets.
