Electrical Grid Problems Cut Power to Parts of Oman

A general view of Muscat, Oman. (AP)
A general view of Muscat, Oman. (AP)
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Electrical Grid Problems Cut Power to Parts of Oman

A general view of Muscat, Oman. (AP)
A general view of Muscat, Oman. (AP)

Electrical grid problems cut power to parts of Oman for hours on Monday, authorities said.

The outage began in the early afternoon and lasted for much of those affected until around 6 p.m.. The state-run Oman News Agency described the outage as a “partial blackout.”

It said the outages affected Muscat, the country's capital, and other areas.

Namaa Group, which oversees Oman's electrical grid, blamed the outage on “a technical failure in one of the transmission lines.”



Saudi Arabia Denies it Favors Prolonging the War

A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on November 15, 2024. (Reuters)
A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on November 15, 2024. (Reuters)
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Saudi Arabia Denies it Favors Prolonging the War

A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on November 15, 2024. (Reuters)
A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on November 15, 2024. (Reuters)

A senior official at the Saudi Foreign Ministry stressed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the Kingdom had previously denied claims that its leadership favors the prolongation of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

The official said that Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah had declared during a press conference following the meeting of Arab and Islamic foreign ministers in Riyadh last week that Iran must cease its attacks.

He added that the Kingdom’s patience “has limits” and that it reserves the right to repel the aggression through political and other means.

Iran continued to target Gulf countries with rockets and drones in the fourth week of the war as the United Nations Rights Council prepares to meet on Wednesday to discuss the attacks.

On Tuesday, Saudi defenses downed 44 drones in the Eastern Region, Bahrain downed six ballistic missiles and 19 drones, and the UAE destroyed five missiles and 17 drones. Kuwait also repelled several attacks.

The UAE defense ministry said that a Moroccan contractor with the Emirati military was killed in Bahrain in an Iranian attack, with Manama saying the man had been assisting the local armed forces.


UAE Defense Ministry Says Civilian Contractor Killed in Bahrain

 People sit along the corniche area on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, in Abu Dhabi on March 20, 2026. (AFP)
People sit along the corniche area on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, in Abu Dhabi on March 20, 2026. (AFP)
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UAE Defense Ministry Says Civilian Contractor Killed in Bahrain

 People sit along the corniche area on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, in Abu Dhabi on March 20, 2026. (AFP)
People sit along the corniche area on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, in Abu Dhabi on March 20, 2026. (AFP)

The UAE defense ministry said on Tuesday that a Moroccan contractor with the Emirati military was killed in Bahrain in an Iranian attack, with Manama saying the man had been assisting the local armed forces.

"The Ministry of Defense mourns the loss of a Moroccan civilian contractor serving with the UAE Armed Forces, who was martyred during a routine mission in the Kingdom of Bahrain following an Iranian missile attack," the UAE ministry said in a statement on X.

Five UAE ministry of defense personnel were also injured in the attack, the statement added.

Bahrain's military had announced that a UAE army personnel was killed in its territory while helping Bahraini forces defend against Iranian attacks.

It said UAE and Bahraini army personnel had also been injured without specifying how many.

Gulf forces have reported coming under attack in Bahrain before.


Saudi Defense Minister, French Minister of Armed Forces Discuss Means to Bolster Cooperation

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and French Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin meet in Riyadh on Tuesday. (Saudi Defense Ministry)
Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and French Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin meet in Riyadh on Tuesday. (Saudi Defense Ministry)
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Saudi Defense Minister, French Minister of Armed Forces Discuss Means to Bolster Cooperation

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and French Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin meet in Riyadh on Tuesday. (Saudi Defense Ministry)
Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and French Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin meet in Riyadh on Tuesday. (Saudi Defense Ministry)

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman received in Riyadh on Tuesday French Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin for talks on regional developments and their repercussions on various levels.

They discussed bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and France in the defense field and means to bolster them.

Vautrin condemned the repeated Iranian attacks against the Kingdom.