Friends and foes gather in Oman to mourn Qaboos

World and regional leaders, met Oman's new ruler on Sunday to offer condolences for the death of Sultan Qaboos bin Said whose quiet diplomacy during five decades in power helped calm regional turbulence. The rulers of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which are locked in a protracted dispute, were among those who visited the royal palace in Muscat as was the foreign minister of Iran, which is an arch-foe of U.S.-allied Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Oman's new sultan, Haitham bin Tariq al-Said, promised after assuming power on Saturday to uphold the foreign policy of his Western-backed predecessor. The U.K. was also represented in Muscat on Sunday, as Prince Charles and Prime Minister Boris Johnson both met Haitham and paid their respects to the late Qaboos.