US secretary of state meets with Omani sultan in Muscat

MUSCAT (AA) – Omani Sultan Qaboos bin Said on Monday met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Muscat, where the two men discussed “regional and international developments”, according to Oman’s official news agency.

Muscat is the eighth and final leg of a Middle East tour that also brought Pompeo to Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Pompeo’s talks with Sultan Qaboos also tackled “bilateral cooperation between Oman and the U.S. in a range of fields”, according to the news agency.

Some observers believe Pompeo’s tour was intended to reassure Washington’s regional allies of continued U.S. support following a planned U.S. troop withdrawal from Syria.