By Denis Korkodinov
The United States and Oman have agreed to extend the duration of a bilateral defense agreement that turns the Oman port of Duqm into a Washington’s naval base.
Among other things, the United States can freely use the “airfields jump”, located in the cities of Muscat, Tumrayta, as well as on the islands of Masir and Musnan. This allows the US military to significantly strengthen its position in the region and it has a direct impact on regional conflicts in Yemen and Iran.
The strategic interest of the White House administration in organizing a naval base in Oman is due to a unique geographic location. Thanks to him, the United States can implement military campaigns in the western Indian Ocean, in the Persian Gulf, North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia almost unhindered. And besides, Washington, having access to the ports of Duqm and Salalah, can provide almost absolute control over the transportation of oil through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb.
This, according to American analysts, will create a guarantee of limiting the military presence of Iran in the region and will reduce the activity of the Hussite movement in Yemen with respect to objects located in Saudi Arabia.
Among other things, the American-Omani military alliance aims to create obstacles for the expansion of China and Russia, who are also interested in strengthening their position along the East African coastline.
Washington and the international community, in general, pay great attention to the southern coast of Yemen, which is virtually unaffected by the conflict between the Hussites and Hadists. This circumstance is especially attractive for international participants from the point of view of using the commercial infrastructure of Yemen (oil refineries, sea harbors, airfields).
In addition, the south of Yemen represents a unique opportunity for the Gulf countries, first of all, the United Arab Emirates, to create their own military bases in order to support certain parties to the civil conflict. In particular, the emirate’s armed forces have already shown their activity in the south of Yemen in the summer of 2015 during a ground operation against the Houthis.
Also, Abu Dhabi was able to establish friendly relations with the leaders of the Southern Transitional Council in Yemen, as a result of which the emirate got access to ports located in the cities of Aden, Mukalla, and Hadhramavt.
Not limited to the above, Abu Dhabi built, with the support of the Southern Transitional Council in Yemen, the runway on Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and also created a military base on the island of Socotra.
Riyadh is trying to keep up with the United Arab Emirates in the development of Yemen’s territory. Thus, the Saudis increased their military presence in the ports of Hyde and Ništun.
Strengthening the role of Washington and its allies in South Arabia could create a reason for the escalation of regional conflicts. First of all, it concerns Yemen and Iran, which have vital interests in this region. Moreover, the creation of an additional military bases on the territory of Oman could create grounds for great polarization within the international community, which is unlikely to contribute to the process of ensuring peace.
(The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of World Geostrategic Insights).
Image Credit: Port of Duqm