Reports of an explosion and alleged drone attack at Oman's Mina al Fahal port have raised questions about a further escalation of tensions in the Middle East, despite authorities insisting that crude export operations are continuing as normal. According to news agency Reuters , which cited three sources familiar with the matter, an explosion struck near the facility's single-buoy mooring (SBM) berths on Friday. The incident happened amid continuing conflict in the region with stalled US-Iran peace talks dragging on, and shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz severely restricted.
According to Reuters , the blast occurred between the SBM 1 and SBM 2 berths and was However, it remains unclear when the alleged attack took place. Several supertankers were seen anchored off Mina al Fahal on Friday, according to shipping data from LSEG cited by Reuters . The port, located on Oman's north-eastern coast near the capital Muscat , is the country's main crude oil export terminal. Bloomberg , citing traders familiar with the matter, reported that oil loadings were delayed following the explosion, with some scheduled shipments preliminarily pushed back by several days. Following reports of the incident, oil prices edged lower. Brent crude futures fell 24 cents, or 0.25 percent, to $94.79 a barrel by 0704 GMT, after declining 2.84 percent in the previous session. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was trading at $92.48 a barrel, down 56 cents, or 0.6 percent, after losing 3.1 percent on Thursday. Despite the declines, both benchmarks were on course for their first weekly gain in three weeks, with WTI rising by more than 6 percent over the week. However, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), the country's leading oil and gas producer, said operations at Mina al Fahal were "continuing normally", according to the Oman News Agency . The company denied reports that crude loading had been suspended at the port. Omani authorities have not confirmed that an attack took place nor have they identified any possible perpetrator. The New Arab has approached PDO for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication. There is also no indication that the alleged incident is linked to reports carried by Iranian state media on Wednesday claiming that Tehran had targeted a US military vessel serving as a "control and command centre" while it was approaching Iranian territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman. The latest developments come at a time when Oman’s long-standing role as an intermediary has come under increasing attack.
Amid the ongoing conflict, the sultanate has positioned itself as a neutral actor, maintaining open channels with all sides and often serving as a back-channel mediator in the war that has divided other Gulf states.
However, Muscat has faced growing criticism from Washington, which has increasingly viewed Oman's engagement with Tehran with suspicion. According to US media reports, American officials have even urged Oman to take a firmer stance and downgrade its diplomatic ties with Iran.
US President Donald Trump also publicly drew attention to Oman last week when, in unscripted remarks, he threatened to bomb the country.
In addition, appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio seemingly underscored Washington's concerns about Oman's position.
He said: "There isn’t a country on Earth other than Iran – and maybe Oman that flirted with it – who’s in favour of what Iran is doing in the straits."
Meanwhile, weeks of stalled negotiations and periodic flare-ups of violence that have failed to produce an agreement to end the conflict or fully restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has maintained firm conditions for any breakthrough, as Washington and Tehran have continued to send conflicting signals.