Oman’s foreign minister has sharply criticized the United States and Israel for their military campaign against Iran, describing the offensive as “immoral and illegal” while urging an immediate ceasefire and renewed diplomatic efforts to prevent a broader regional war.

The harsh criticism of the U.S. and Israel came as Oman itself has been affected by the escalating conflict, including receiving direct attacks from Iran.

Despite the attacks, this past week Omani Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said congratulated Mojtaba Khamenei on his selection as Iran’s new supreme leader.

“His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq — may God protect and preserve him — sent a cable of congratulations to His Eminence Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on the occasion of his selection as Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Oman’s state news agency reported.

Earlier this month, a fuel tank at Oman’s commercial port of Duqm was attacked by several drones on March 3 during a wave of regional strikes following U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. An oil tanker off Oman’s coast was also struck in the escalation.

Despite those attacks, Oman has continued to call for de-escalation and dialogue.

Speaking during an emergency ministerial meeting of the Arab League held remotely this past weekend, Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi condemned the U.S.-Israeli military action while also criticizing Iran for retaliatory strikes against neighboring states.

“The actions of Israel and the United States against Iran are immoral and illegal, but Iran’s response to its neighbors is extremely regrettable and unacceptable,” al-Busaidi said in remarks recently published on his account on the social media platform X.

The emergency meeting was convened to address rapidly escalating tensions following the outbreak of fighting on Feb. 28 between Iran and a coalition led by the United States and Israel. Iranian retaliation has included attacks on several countries in the region, raising fears that the conflict could expand across the Gulf.

Al-Busaidi called on all parties to exercise restraint and warned that further escalation could draw additional countries into the conflict. He emphasized that political dialogue, rather than military force, was the only viable path to resolving the crisis.

“Oman urges an immediate ceasefire and a return to diplomatic dialogue,” he said, stressing the importance of political solutions to prevent a wider regional confrontation.

The foreign minister also criticized Washington’s strategy toward Tehran, saying the United States would gain fewer concessions through war than it would through negotiations.

According to Oman Daily, al-Busaidi argued that the U.S.-Israel offensive was aimed in part at reshaping the Middle East and promoting normalization with Israel while weakening efforts to establish a Palestinian state.

Oman has long played the role of mediator between Iran and Western countries and previously hosted negotiations between Washington and Tehran aimed at easing tensions over Iran’s nuclear program.

As the crisis deepened, al-Busaidi also held diplomatic consultations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The two ministers spoke by telephone on March 11 and exchanged views on the growing conflict and potential paths toward ending the fighting.

According to a Russian Foreign Ministry statement, Lavrov and al-Busaidi discussed ways to bring about “the swiftest possible end to the military confrontation caused by the United States and Israel’s unprovoked aggression.”

Both sides stressed the need to prevent the conflict from expanding further, particularly by drawing Gulf states into the fighting. The ministers emphasized that involving additional regional countries risked triggering wider military operations across the Middle East.

Lavrov also expressed Russia’s willingness to help facilitate compromise-based solutions rooted in respect for national sovereignty and international law, according to the statement.

Oman has continued to push for negotiations to end what it describes as a regional crisis triggered by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.