Free Republic

U.S. actor Sean Penn engaged in attempts to secure the release of two Americans freed by Iran this week, flying to Venezuela to ask President Hugo Chavez to intervene with Iran's leader, a source close to the release process said on Friday. Since Tehran freed Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer on Wednesday details have emerged about the efforts to win their freedom, which involved the United Nations, Iraq and Oman - as well as Chavez, who is a fiery critic of the United States. Venezuela's deputy foreign minister said on Thursday that Chavez brought up the case with his Iranian...

Three Middle East nations considering F-16 orders Posted Wednesday, Jul. 13, 2011 By Bob Cox rcox@star-telegram.com Prospects may be improving for Lockheed Martin to soon book more orders for Fort Worth-built F-16 fighter jets. Iraq's on-again, off-again plans for buying F-16s may be back on again. In addition, Oman and the United Arab Emirates are reportedly again talking to the U.S. government and Lockheed about F-16s after they could not agree on terms for buying French fighter jets. Lockheed officials confirmed reports that they had been in contact with the three Middle East nations about F-16 sales, but they declined...

A proposal to boost the Peninsula Shield, the Gulf Cooperation Council's combined military force, has been approved by its six member states, and could increase to include 100,000 troops before the end of the year... The Peninsula Shield currently consists of about 40,000 troops and has its permanent base in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province. The proposed expansion would be a huge boost from the previous force's incarnation, whose numbers fluctuated between 5-10,000 troops during its existence. Its permanent military base could also be moved to Bahrain... Back in March, when the protest movement in Bahrain was gaining the same kind...

Lockheed hopes to finalize F-16 sales to Iraq, Oman 7:50pm EDT By Andrea Shalal-Esa WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) says it hopes to sign sales contracts for up to 18 F-16 fighter jets to both Iraq and Oman by early 2012, and expects to book a total of about 100 additional orders by the end of the decade. Lockheed is gradually winding down production of the popular multi-role fighter, which is in use by 25 countries worldwide, and was once produced at a rate of one a day, as it ramps up production...

CAIRO (Reuters) - Arab states must intervene in Libya or risk unwanted foreign intervention, Oman's foreign minister told an Arab League meeting on Saturday. European states hope the Arab League will take the lead in shaping policy towards the revolt that has divided Libya. The League has suspended Libya for its crackdown on an uprising against Muammar Gaddafi but has not severed all ties to Tripoli. Gulf states including Oman have voiced strong criticism of Gaddafi and called for a no-fly zone over Libya, but the position of other Arab League states is not clear. Analysts doubt its members will...

The wave of pro-democracy fervor sweeping the Middle East and North Africa has landed in Oman, a tiny Arab sultanate thought to have been one of the region's most stable, prosperous places. Omani protesters demanding better jobs and political reforms clashed with the country's vaunted security forces on Sunday. There were reports of up to six people dead in the northern industrial town of Sohar, even though Oman's health minister said only one died. Oman is a staunch U.S. ally, with strategic importance. It lies next to the Strait of Hormuz, a critical entryway into the Persian Gulf, where about...

Recent events in Tunisia, Lebanon and Egypt spell a dangerous new trend in the region. There have been major developments in Tunisia, Lebanon and Egypt, each of which is of tremendous importance. In Tunisia, a popular uprising fueled by unemployment, economic suffering and long-term discontent has overthrown the dictator, but not necessarily the dictatorship. In 55 years of independence, the country has been governed by two dictators, the current one being Zine al-Abedin Ben Ali, who has been president for 23 years and was a key power in the regime even before that. Is this going to spread? Does it...

Oman Corvette Heads to Sea for the First Time (Source: BAE Systems; issued December 20, 2010) PORTSMOUTH, United Kingdom --- Al Shamikh, the first of three ships being built by BAE Systems for the Royal Navy of Oman (RNO), has embarked on her first sea trials in the Solent. Departing from the Company’s Portsmouth facility, a combined BAE Systems and RNO crew is putting the ship through her paces, undertaking extensive platform testing for speed, propulsion and manoeuvrability in the first demonstration of the ship’s capability at sea. Scott Jamieson, International Programmes Director at BAE Systems’ Surface Ships division, said:...

An Iranian newspaper reports that a delegation from Oman will visit Iran to pursue the release of two American men imprisoned for more than a year.

On Aug. 6, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency, DSCA, informed Congress of the sale to Israel of 60 million gallons of unleaded gasoline, 284 million gallons of JP-8 aviation jet fuel and 100 million gallons of diesel fuel at an estimated cost of two billion dollars. The date is significant, intelligence sources find. Ten days earlier, the Japanese tanker M.Star was attacked in Omani waters of the Strait of Hormuz with 200,000 tons of oil. Although American experts who examined the vessel, they never attributed the damage to sabotage by Iran or al Qaeda, despite the latter's claim of...

In fresh blow to Eurofighter, US touts possible F-16 sale to Oman By Stephen Trimble US defence officials have confirmed that Oman has asked for a potential sale of 18 Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 50/52 fighters for $3.5 billion in a move that dampens the UK government's hopes to offload a batch of new Eurofighter Typhoons. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) informed Congress on 3 August that the Royal Air Force of Oman is seeking a "possible" F-16 purchase, which is most likely aimed at replacing its remaining Sepecat Jaguars. Fifteeen are still in operation, as listed in...

MUSCAT/TOKYO (Reuters) – A Japanese oil tanker damaged in an explosion in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important shipping lanes, was being diverted to a port in the UAE on Wednesday. One of the 31 crew aboard was injured but no oil leaked from the M Star very large crude carrier (VLCC), according to the Japanese transport ministry. It said an explosion occurred onboard at around 00:30 a.m. local time (2030 GMT Tuesday), but the cause was unclear. "A crew member saw light on the horizon just before the explosion, so (ship owner Mitsui O.S.K.) believes...

(MENAFN - Times of Oman) His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has issued Royal Orders to plant 100,000 coconut trees in Dhofar. This was sited by Sayyid Ali bin Hamoud Al Busaidi, minister of the Diwan of Royal Court. He said that the Royal Orders to plant 100,000 coconut trees in the Governorate of Dhofar come within the framework of the Royal attention of His Majesty the Sultan to the agricultural sector in the Sultanate and care for it all over the country. On the occasion of having the honour to declare this happy event for the people in the...

Chinese warships participating in anti-piracy operations off Somalia have been giving their ships five day breaks at three ports (in Oman, Djibouti and Yemen). The ships take on fuel and provisions, and the crews get some time ashore. Other foreign warships off Somalia are also doing this, even though some of them have support ships that can reprovision and refuel warships while underway. The Chinese government is content with these arrangements, but many Chinese admirals are not. For nearly a year now, Chinese admirals have been pushing their government to help them establish a support base near the Persian Gulf....

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress June 30 of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Oman of logistics support and training for two C-130J-30 aircraft, including associated equipment and parts for an estimated cost of $54 million. The Government of Oman has requested a possible sale of logistics support and training for two (2) C-130J-30 aircraft being procured through a Direct Commercial Sale, 2 AN/AAR-47 Missile Approach Warning Systems, 2 AN/ALE-47 Countermeasure Dispenser Sets, 2 AN/ALR-56M Radar Warning Receivers, communication equipment, software support, repair and return, installation, aircraft ferry and refueling support, spare and repair parts, support and test...

WASHINGTON – A U.S. military official says the Navy had a close encounter with an Iranian surveillance jet last week in the Gulf of Oman. The official says the jet buzzed a Navy aircraft carrier, the USS Eisenhower, coming within about 1,000 yards of the ship. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, said the April 21 incident occurred in international waters.The jet was described as a maritime patrol aircraft generally used for surveillance. The official says "there was nothing threatening about the aircraft itself or how it...

London could yet order at least a handful of Tranche 3B Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, if a deal to sell the aircraft to Oman is in place by early 2011. Oman and the U.K. have been discussing Typhoon purchases for more than two years. Industry officials suggest that if the timescale for Oman’s delivery aspirations are to be met, the fighters will likely be drawn from Tranche 2 aircraft now in production for the Royal Air Force. Were Typhoons to be diverted to Oman—officials say an order would probably be for 12 aircraft and potentially include an option for a further...

Oman is reported to be planning to buy up to 24 Eurofighter Typhoon strike jets worth an estimated $2.24 billion from Britain. Officials at British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's office at No. 10 Downing Street did not give details of the deal. But defense industry sources have been saying that BAE Systems, Europe's largest defense contractor, would sell 24 aircraft to the Gulf sultanate. The deal, once confirmed, will give the Typhoon project a major boost after years of uncertainty that Britain and its partners in Europe would buy enough of the aircraft to maintain production. Oman would be the...

Oman 'wants to buy' Eurofighter planes from the UK The government of Oman wants to buy a number of fighter jets from the UK, according to Downing Street. Number 10 said at this stage it was unable to confirm the number of Eurofighter planes - known in the UK as Typhoons - being bought. The prime minister's spokesman said the sale will help secure British jobs and "further enhance the strong strategic relationship between the UK and Oman". The aircraft are partly being built by BAE systems. The company, which makes the aircraft with European partners, said: "Oman is a...

U.S. intelligence officials appear to have obtained access to what could turn out to be a significant trove of phone numbers, photographs and documents detailing the links between Al Qaeda's leaders in northwest Pakistan and the terror group's increasingly menacing affiliate in Yemen, two counter-terrorism sources tell Declassified. In late January, an Al Qaeda operative headed from Pakistan on his way to Yemen was arrested in the Persian Gulf country of Oman, a U.S. counter-terrorism official confirmed. There has been no public announcement of the arrest. But in a possible indication of the operative's importance, just a few days later,...