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The crisis in Kuwait’s banking sector deepened on Tuesday as the chairman of Gulf Bank resigned over derivatives losses and Moody’s warned it could downgrade the bank, the country’s second biggest lender. Kutayba Al Ghanim replaced his brother Bassam Al Ghanim as chairman of Gulf Bank after depositors on Monday started to withdraw deposits from the stricken bank. It was the first known bank run in the region during the crisis and came despite the Kuwaiti central bank’s pledge to support the bank and guarantee all bank deposits in the country. Moody’s Investors Service said it would review Gulf Bank’s...

TEHRAN (AFP) – Iran has opened a new naval base east of the Strait of Hormuz in a bid to boost its military control over the strategic Gulf waters, the country's navy chief was quoted as saying on Tuesday. "With the opening of this naval base a new line of defence has been created east of the Strait of Hormuz," Admiral Habibollah Sayyari was quoted as saying by the Fars news agency. "We can prevent the entry of any enemy naval units into the strategic Persian Gulf area if need be," he said, adding that the base was located in...

HAVANA: Cuban oil officials said on Thursday that Cuba may have more than 20 billion barrels of recoverable oil in its offshore fields, more than twice the maximum estimate of the US geological survey. Such a large oil find would likely make Cuba an oil exporter and bring prosperity to the communist-run island that now imports half its energy needs. Officials said they hoped to drill the first production wells next year. The estimate, unveiled at a Cubapetroleo, or Cupet, news briefing, is sharply higher than the maximum of 9 billion barrels the US geological survey has said may lie...

Large and dangerous Hurricane Ike approaching the Upper Texas coast. Mandatory evacuations began in earnest Thursday as an estimated one million coastal residents headed inland. There were widespread reports of gas stations running out of fuel. The National Weather Service posted dire storm surge predictions of 20-25 ft storm surge along the coast and bay heads. Hurricane warnings covered a 400 mile swath of the Gulf of Mexico. Wholesale gasoline prices spiked 30 percent Thursday, or nearly $1 a gallon, out of fear of what Ike might do. Public Advisory Updated every 3 hours Discussion Updated every 6 hours Buoy...

WASHINGTON - Some 63% of Americans supports a preemptive Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, should the international community's diplomatic efforts to curb its nuclear development fail, a recent poll held by the Israel Project revealed Thursday. The survey indicated a growing concern in the US of the possibility that Iran would be able to possess actual nuclear capabilities: About 87% of those polled said a nuclear Iran will pose a threat to the US and 96% believe it would be of imminent threat to Israel. Furthermore, 90% said that should Iran possess nuclear weapons it may sell them, or...

Some of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds are seeking to scale back their exposure to the US dollar in a sign of global concern about the currency. One big sovereign fund in the Gulf has cut its dollar-denominated holdings from more than 80 per cent a year ago to less than 60 per cent, while China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) has been looking to strike deals with private equity firms in Europe as a part of a strategy to reduce its dollar holdings. Sovereign wealth funds have played a leading role in helping to recapitalise faltering US...

A simple question, What if it was not the Arabs, not the Muslims (OPEC) that control the world's energy? What if the oil tycoons were of a different background, say Irish Catholic or Jewish? Could you imagine how they would be lynched [in the media and all tools of public opinion]? But it's "only" Arabs, Muslims, and they can do whatever they want, limit or extend production of oil. Worst is of course the immense unlimited power they enjoy in being permitted to continue "business" as usual... in the "field" of crimes against humanity... No one ever dares speaks out...

The US Treasury Department has added three al Qaeda operatives from the Gulf States to the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorist Individuals. The three operatives have provided logistical, financial, and material support to al Qaeda and the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group throughout the Middle East. Two of these operatives have provided direct support for al Qaeda leaders based in Iran and two have operated in the tribal regions in Pakistan. The US has designated Khalifa Muhammad Turki al Subaiy, a Qatari national; and Adil Muhammad Mahmud Abd al Khaliq and Abd al Rahman Muhammad Jaffar 'Ali, Bahraini nationals, as...

Pemex says there are billions of untapped barrels in Mexico's deep waters. But it lacks the capital and know-how to go after them. A bill being pushed by President Felipe Calderon's administration would make it easier for Pemex to hire the expertise it needs. But deep-water projects cost billions and can take a decade to come on line. Oil majors typically want a share of any crude that they find -- a standard industry practice forbidden by Mexico's constitution.

They are countries so rich in oil and gas that they would never want for fuel to drive their booming economies and the lavish lifestyles of their rulers. Now, however, in a role reversal that makes selling sand to Saudi Arabia look like a sensible business transaction, the oil-rich Gulf states are planning to import coal. An acute shortage of natural gas has led to the city states of the United Arab Emirates seeking alternative fuels to keep the air cool, the lights on and the water running. Abu Dhabi is working with Suez, the French utility company, on a...

MEXICO CITY, April 30, 2008 – The movement of a second aircraft carrier into the Persian Gulf this week doesn’t signal an escalation of the U.S. naval presence -- but could serve as a “reminder” of it to countries in the region, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here last night. Gates did not specifically name Iran when responding to a reporter’s question about the arrival this week of USS Abraham Lincoln in the Gulf. “The size of our naval presence in the Gulf rises and falls constantly,” he said. “This deployment has been planned for a long time. I...

US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said Tuesday the deployment of a second aircraft carrier to the Gulf should be seen as a "reminder" of US military power in the region. But Gates flatly denied that the United States was preparing the ground for military strikes against Iran. "I don't think we'll have two carriers for a protracted period of time. So I don't see it as an escalation. I think it could be seen, though, as a reminder," Gates told reporters here during a visit with Mexican officials. The arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Gulf follows...

The foreign minister of the Sultanate of Oman, Yusef Bin Alawai Bin Abdulla, agreed to hold a short photo-op at the beginning of his meeting with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Monday at the Sheraton Doha hotel. In the last eight years, since the Al-Aqsa intifada led to severing of relations between the two countries, Israeli and Omani foreign ministers have met mostly in secret, in European capitals or on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. When it comes to Israel's ties with the Arab world, progress is measured in millimeters. Therefore, although it might seem to be...

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was to leave for Qatar Sunday for a two-day visit during which she is scheduled to speak at the opening of the Doha Forum on Democracy, Development and Free Trade. In her speech, Livni is expected to call on Arab nations to assist in the Israel-Palestinian peace process by promoting "gradual" normalization of ties with Israel, among other things. The foreign minister is scheduled to meet with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, as well as Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamed bin Jassem al-Thani. During her meetings with senior Qatari officials, Livni is...

ARABIAN GULF — The Royal Navy has taken command of the Coalition Maritime Forces protecting Iraq's vital oil platforms in the Northern Arabian Gulf. Commodore Duncan Potts RN has taken over command of Combined Task Force 158 (CTF158) from Commodore Allan du Toit of the Royal Australian Navy. Command of the Task Force is rotated between the UK, US and Australia. The UK last held command of CTF158 in July 2007 and will command the Task Force until August. Combined Task Force 158's primary mission in the Northern Arabian Gulf is maintaining security in and around both the Al Basrah...

Health Problems In Persian Gulf War Veterans Higher Due To Chemical Exposure, Study Shows ScienceDaily (Mar. 13, 2008) — A study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine shows there is increasing evidence that high rates of illness in Persian Gulf War Veterans can be explained, in part, by exposure to certain chemicals, including pesticides and nerve agents. Veterans from the 1990-91 conflict have a higher rate of chronic, multi-symptom health problems than either non-deployed personnel or those deployed elsewhere. Symptoms routinely reported by these veterans include fatigue, muscle or joint pain, memory problems, trouble...

Gulf Stream's secret is a load of hot air 18:21 12 March 2008 NewScientist.com news service Catherine Brahic A wall of warm air rises up from the Gulf Stream, shown here as it moves along the North American coastline (Image: F Araki and S Kawahara, ESC JAMSTEC) It could be the end of preparing for a balmy European summer only to be met with rain and freezing temperatures. After years of mystery surrounding the Gulf Stream, researchers have finally worked out how it affects European weather. The key, they say, is a corridor of warm air that rises up from...

GULF Arab states, flush with proceeds from record high oil prices, are racing to build the world's tallest tower. Saudi Arabia has joined the fray with a plan to build a 1 mile (1600m) tower in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, according to the London-based Middle East Economic Digest (MEED). The project, which would overtake super-tall skyscrapers in neighbouring Kuwait and Dubai, the city state associated with mega ventures, places the competition to build the world's tallest tower firmly in the Gulf region. Of all the other high-profile buildings under construction around the globe, such as New York's Freedom...

Is the United States moving toward military action with Iran? The resignation of the top U.S. military commander for the Middle East is setting off alarms that the Bush administration is intent on using military force to stop Iran's moves toward gaining nuclear weapons. In announcing his sudden resignation today following a report on his views in Esquire, Adm. William Fallon didn't directly deny that he differs with President Bush over at least some aspects of the president's policy on Iran. For his part, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said it is "ridiculous" to think that the departure of Fallon --...

Asian workers work long hours in poor conditions for little pay For decades, migrant workers in the oil-rich Arab states of the Gulf worked hard, sent home millions of dollars' worth of remittances - and seemed immune to labour unrest. Now there are signs that is beginning to change. On Sunday, a court in Dubai sentenced 45 Indian construction workers to six months in prison for their involvement in protests demanding pay increases. On their release from jail, they face deportation. The sentences follow a series of demonstrations late last year, when construction workers demanding better pay and conditions...

Iran bristles as French forces head for war games in the Gulf By Ben Hall in Paris and Simeon Kerr in Dubai February 23 2008 French armed forces will take part in large-scale war games in the Gulf next week, underlining France's growing military presence in the region amid heightened tensions over Iran's nuclear ambitions. France will deploy 1,500 personnel, two frigates and eight Mirage fighter jets to the defence exercises, held in conjunction with the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Paris has long-standing defence co-operation agreements with the two countries and is one of their biggest suppliers of arms....

LONDON (Reuters) - Gulf states believe Israel will destroy Iran's nuclear programme rather than allow it to acquire an atomic bomb, an adviser to the Kuwaiti government and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) said on Tuesday. If Iran did build the bomb, said adviser Sami Alfaraj, then the Jewish state might be one of the countries -- along with the United States and Pakistan -- Gulf Arab nations would ask to provide a "nuclear umbrella" to guarantee their security. Alfaraj, president of the Kuwait Centre for Strategic Studies, said Israel might bomb Iranian nuclear facilities in the same way it destroyed...

We just returned from a few days of vacationing in Key West, Florida, the southernmost point in the United States. Everywhere throughout this priceless jewel of scenic beauty, old-time Spanish architecture and fun-loving tourists are reminders that this island is only 90 miles from Cuba, and that, calling itself the Conch Republic, it recently once seceded from the USA and declared a brief war on us. The war and its almost immediate surrender was to call attention to the dire consequences that the disastrous Mariel boatlift of 1980 (one of President Carter’s many terrible ideas) was having on Key West’s...

Iran Seeks Confrontation in Gulf By: Kenneth R. Timmerman Wednesday, January 9, 2008 8:35 AM The near-miss confrontation between Iranian speedboats and a U.S. naval convoy in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday was a clear provocation by Iran, aimed at testing the reaction time of U.S. Navy commanders and the political will of the United States, sources within the Iranian military tell Newsmax. The U.S. failed the test, because no shots were fired, the Iranians said. As a result, the U.S. Navy can expect similar provocations in the future, as Iran seeks to determine what red lines the U.S....

The incident, which President Bush denounced Tuesday as a "provocative act," was videotaped by a crew member on the bridge of the destroyer USS Hopper, one of the three ships that faced down five Iranian boats in a flare-up early Sunday, the AP reports. Video = http://www.breitbart.tv/html/26424.html

Iran this week played a very dangerous game of chicken with the U.S. Navy in the Persian Gulf. Five small boats of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard harassed and provoked three U.S. warships in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday morning. The boats swarmed the U.S. ships and engaged in threatening behavior. And they almost paid a high price for the stunt. And it's still not clear what the Iranians were up to. Was this an attempt to lure the United States into attacking the boats, and thus creating an international incident? If so, it was a suicide mission. U.S. Navy...

January 8, 2008 -- EARLY Sunday morning, the US Navy lost its nerve and guaranteed that American sailors will die at Iranian hands in the future. ...[SNIP]... On Sunday, the Iranians tested us. We failed. They'll probe us again. And every time we fail to react decisively, we raise the number of future US casualties. Remember the USS Cole? You bet the Iranians do. They plan to better that attack by an order of magnitude. For almost 70 years, we've deployed the finest navy in the history of the world. But it looks increasingly as if we've gone from "Damn...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Two U.S. Navy fighter jets plunged into the Persian Gulf Monday, after what initial reports suggest was a mid-air collision, a defense official said. All three pilots ejected safely from the planes and were headed back to the USS Harry Truman, the aircraft carrier they were operating from, according to the official, who requested anonymity because the information was preliminary and not yet released publicly. No other details or the crash were released. One of the F-18 jets that crashed held two pilots, the other held just one. The crash occurred at about 1 p.m. EST.

Ancient flood brought Gulf Stream to a halt 19:00 06 December 2007 NewScientist.com news service Fred Pearce It was the biggest climate event of the last 10,000 years and caused the most dramatic change in the weather since humans began farming. And it may yet hold important lessons about climate change in the 21st century. Just over 8000 years ago, a huge glacial lake in Canada burst, and an estimated 100,000 cubic kilometres of fresh water rushed into the North Atlantic. Researchers now say they know for sure that this catastrophic event shut down the Gulf Stream and cooled parts...

MANAMA, Bahrain, Dec. 7, 2007 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today commemorated a historic date in U.S. Navy history -- Pearl Harbor Day -- at U.S. Naval Forces Central Command headquarters here. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates walks with Crown Prince His Majesty Hamad bin Al-Khalifa in Bahrain while on a visit to Southwest Asia, Dec. 6, 2007. Gates is in the region to discuss defense issues and recieve updates from commanders. Defense Dept. photo by U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jerry Morrison  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. He got a detailed briefing about the command’s operations...

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reached out Monday to Gulf Arab states, proposing security and economic pacts free of "foreign influence" in the first appearance by an Iranian leader before a summit of a key group of Persian Gulf nations. The Sunni Muslim-led states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates are Washington allies and work closely with the U.S. military, making them unlikely to embrace Shiite Iran. But the mere presence of Ahmadinejad at the summit of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, a group formed partly to counter the spread of Iran's...

LONDON, Nov 23 (Reuters) - The U.S. military has stepped up chartering of tankers and requests for extra fuel in the U.S. Central Command area, which includes the Gulf, shipping and oil industry sources say. The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command (MSC) has tendered for four tankers in November to move at least one million barrels of jet and ship fuel between Gulf ports, from Asia to the Gulf and to the Diego Garcia base, tenders seen by Reuters show. "They have been very active," said a ship industry source, familiar with the MSC tender process, who asked not to...

MANAMA (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy began a series of exercises in the Gulf and wider Gulf waters on Friday involving a U.S aircraft carrier and two expeditionary assault ships. The five-day crisis response exercise involved amphibious, air and medical forces, the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, headquartered in Bahrain, said in a statement. "The scenario is challenging but prepares us for a real-world event," Commander Jay Chambers, of Combined Task Force 59, said. The start of the exercises coincided with world powers agreeing at talks in London to push ahead with a third round of sanctions against Iran, unless reports...

Navy to patrol Gulf in the spring By David Blair in Manama Last Updated: 2:49am GMT 02/11/2007 A Royal Navy aircraft carrier will be deployed in the Gulf next spring, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed. HMS Illustrious will sail for the highly sensitive waters near Iran Illustrious will sail for the highly sensitive waters near Iran accompanied by Edinburgh, a Type 42 destroyer whose main role is providing air defence, and Westminster, a Type 23 frigate. Two minesweepers and three support vessels from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary will complete the deployment for Operation Orion 08. The ships will spend...

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz returns home to San Diego Bay, Sept. 30, 2007. Nimitz, the flagship of Nimitz Carrier Strike Group and embarked Carrier Air Wing 11, completed a six-month Western Pacific deployment. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Brian Gaines USS Nimitz Returns to San Diego Sailors, Marines support ground troops in Iraq, Afghanistan. By Petty Officer 2nd Class Dustin Q. DiazUSS Nimitz Public Affairs SAN DIEGO, Oct. 3, 2007 — The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz returned to its homeport of San Diego, Sept. 30, following a successful six-month deployment to promote peace,...

<p>The American air force is working with military leaders from the Gulf to train and prepare Arab air forces for a possible war with Iran, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal.</p> <p>An air warfare conference in Washington last week was told how American air chiefs have helped to co-ordinate intelligence-sharing with Gulf Arab nations and organise combined exercises designed to make it easier to fight together.</p>

Iran spy post heightens Gulf tension with US By Gethin Chamberlain, Sunday Telegraph Last Updated: 1:46am BST 09/09/2007 Iran has established a sophisticated spying operation at the head of the Arabian Gulf in a move which has significantly heightened tensions in its standoff with the United States. The operation, masterminded by the country’s elite Revolutionary Guard, includes the construction of a high-tech spying post close to the point where Iranian forces kidnapped 15 British naval personnel in March. The move has forced British and American commanders to divert resources away from protecting oil platforms in the Gulf from terrorist attack...

The United Arab Emirates has completed the acquisition of two aviation subsidiaries of a major U.S. firm. The acquisition would provide the UAE with advanced Western aviation technology and services as part of its plan to establish a global aviation network. The state-owned Dubai Aerospace Enterprise has formally completed its acquisition of Standard Aero and Landmark Aviation from the U.S.-based Carlyle Group. Executives said DAE, which concluded the $1.9 billion deal on Aug. 1, would absorb the two former Carlyle subsidiaries within its DAE Engineering subsidiary. Executives said Standard Aero and Landmark Aviation would form a global aviation services network...

ABU DHABI -- Bahrain is the only Gulf state participating in a Western-sponsored coalition to protect the Gulf from Iran and Al Qaida. Bahrain has become the first Gulf Cooperation Council state to join the Combined Maritime Forces, or CFT-152, designed to ensure commercial shipping throughout the Gulf. The GCC kingdom has contributed several surface vessels for patrols with the navies of Britain, France and the United States. Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Fifth Fleet and naval component of Central Command, conducts regular exercises with the U.S. Navy in the Gulf, Middle East Newsline reported. Officials said Manama has also...

LONDON (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy, scaling back its force in the Gulf, said on Wednesday it had sent a fresh aircraft carrier to the region to replace two carriers deployed there since early this year amid tension with Iran. It said the USS Enterprise Carrier Strike Group, which includes accompanying destroyers and a submarine, was in the Red Sea and heading for the Gulf and the wider Gulf region. Lt. John Gay of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet headquartered in Bahrain said the two other carrier groups, headed by the USS Stennis and the USS Nimitz, had moved out...

The Atwater Valley Producers Group, consisting of Anadarko Petroleum, Devon Energy, Eni and Hydro, along with the owners of the Independence Hub, Enterprise Products Partners L.P. and Helix Energy Solutions Group report that first production from the record-setting Independence Hub project has been achieved on schedule and within budget. Located in 8,000 feet of water on Mississippi Canyon block 920, approximately 123 miles southeast of Biloxi, Miss., the Independence Hub is the deepest production platform ever installed and also is the world's largest offshore natural gas processing facility. Natural gas production through the Hub began on July 19, 2007,...

Portsmouth-based warship HMS Richmond steamed into the Northern Arabian Gulf yesterday, Tuesday 17 July 2007, to take over Iraqi oil platform protection duties from HMS Cornwall. For HMS Richmond the deployment marks the culmination of many months of dedication and training by the ship's company to get the ship to the Gulf in the best possible condition to conduct what is a vital operational role. With 95 per cent of Iraq's precious oil production flowing through the two oil platforms, which in turn accounts for 80 per cent of Iraq's Gross Domestic Product, they are a significant source of revenue...

HOUSTON -- If you think gasoline prices are high now, consider the eye-popping possibilities if another monster storm pummels the Gulf of Mexico this hurricane season. The petroleum industry has spent nearly two years trying to repair the damage from hurricanes Katrina and Rita. It's had to rebuild the complex web of platforms, pipelines and refineries in a region that produces roughly 25 percent of the nation's oil and 15 percent of its natural gas. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said this week it expects a busy hurricane season, forecasting 13 to 17 tropical storms -- up to 10...

Europe gets forty percent of its oil through the Persian Gulf. But by an accident of history (and civilized policy -- ours, that is) it is the United States that guards the Gulf from madmen like Ahmadinejad. Well, so be it. We gain from world peace and free trade, and it is better to keep the maniacs far away from our shores. But it is now way past time for Europe to step up to the plate again. They have the economic might, the population, the brains -- but not the guts -- to behave as a decent actor on...

My former son in law Josh headed out today for his fourth tour. Godspeed, son. ======================================================================== USS Nimitz Deploys To Persian Gulf Nimitz Will Conduct Marine Security Operations Michelle Krish -- 10News.com Managing Editor POSTED: 7:30 am PDT April 2, 2007 UPDATED: 11:46 am PDT April 2, 2007 SAN DIEGO -- The USS Nimitz and several other American warships left San Diego Monday for the Persian Gulf to join another locally based aircraft carrier strike group already in the region. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier will join the San Diego-based John C. Stennis Strike Group and relieve the USS Dwight D....

Saber Waving in the Gulf ? New War in the Gulf British Prime Minister Tony Blair said today that Iran must release the 15 marine prisoners or face the consequences. The ?consequences? were not elaborated, but the new naval exercises by two US task forces, a NATO French fleet, another US task force near Afghanistan and general high tensions over its nuclear program is sparking speculations on every side.

The US navy said on Tuesday it is staging major war games in the Gulf with two aircraft carriers for the first time since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, at a time of heightened tension with Iran. The manoeuvres involve the USS John C. Stennis, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and their battle groups. They are being held as tensions run high between the West and the Islamic republic over Tehran's nuclear drive and the capture last week of 15 British marines and sailors in a waterway between Iran and Iraq in the northern Gulf. "Two air wings from the...

Oil prices leap on Gulf incident Iran has warned it will halt oil exports if it is attacked Oil prices have risen to their highest level this year after 15 British navy personnel were seized at gunpoint by Iranian forces in the Gulf. The incident caused an immediate reaction in the markets, with a barrel of light, sweet crude rising to $62.65 - its highest mark since December. In London, Brent crude rose to $63.68 a barrel, near a four-month high. A major oil producer, Iran's volatile relationship with the international community is a worry for investors. Long-running dispute One...

Iran poised to strike in wealthy Gulf states By Colin Freeman, Chief Foreign Correspondent, Sunday Telegraph Last Updated: 2:24am GMT 04/03/2007 Iran has trained secret networks of agents across the Gulf states to attack Western interests and incite civil unrest in the event of a military strike against its nuclear programme, a former Iranian diplomat has told The Sunday Telegraph. Western interests in Dubai could be attacked the Iranian regime's agents Spies working as teachers, doctors and nurses at Iranian-owned schools and hospitals have formed sleeper cells ready to be "unleashed" at the first sign of any serious threat to...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Vice President Dick Cheney landed in the U.S.-allied Arab monarchy of Oman Sunday, and went directly to talks with the country's foreign minister, Omani government officials said. A U.S. embassy spokesman in Oman declined to detail Cheney's plans or the focus of his visit to the sparsely populated oil-producing state. But a government official who spoke on condition of anonymity said Cheney was to discuss regional security issues including the U.S. standoff with Iran over its nuclear program with Oman's Foreign Minister Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah. Oman sits across the strategically important Strait...