US Dips Invade the ME: Does anyone care about the Sultanate?

As US envoys and diplomatic bigwigs disperse in the Middle East this week, I'm intrigued by (1) how the Arab media reacts to a blatant US campaign to ensure Arab support for sanctions against Tehran, and (2) how Oman's odd foreign policy figures into this.

As the NY Times sums it up: "The envoys’ visits to Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar were planned separately in recent weeks, but they now have a common purpose, administration officials said: to reassure Iran’s neighbors that the United States will stand firm against Tehran, and to enlist other countries in a global effort to put pressure on the Iranian authorities."

ASharq Al-Awsat: Clinton in the Gulf today to discuss the peace process, Yemen, and Iran: “US Sec. of State Hillary Clinton began her official trip today to the Gulf, where she will carry out discussions in Qatar and Saudi concerning conditions in the Middle East, the peace process between the Palestinians and the Israelis, Iran, and developments of the situation in Yemen. Clinton continues the efforts of US President Barack Obama’s administration to encourage peace in the region, and work to “turn the page” of the past in relations between the Islamic states and Washington, and according as in a speech delivered in front of the American-Islamic world forum in Doha."

Al Arabiyya: Washington "counts" on an Arab role in dealing with nuclear Iran: "US Sec. of State Hillary Clinton aims to use Arab diplomatic pressure on Iran to limit her nuclear amitions during a Gulf tour..."

Al Jazeera: Clinton seeks Arab pressure on Iran: "Officials hinted that Washington sees that one option that Saudi can help her with diplomatically, is presenting assurances to China that Saudi will meet her oil needs, and this step may reduce China's abstention from imposing more sanctions on Iran."

Al Ahram: Mullen arrives in Israel to discuss an escalating, nuclear Iran: "This [visit] comes at a time when Scott Ritter, the former head of weapons inspectors for the UN, forcefully criticized the western media apparatus and experts, accusing them of bias against Iran's "peaceful" nuclear program."

Al Hayat: Mullen in the region today to discuss ways to contain Tehran's threats: "Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen arrived in the region today in a pivotal visit including the most prominent regional players, and to spearhead the quest to ensure the security of the Gulf region and the defense systems that Washington plans on spreading to deter Iran, besides strengthing military and intelligence cooperation and fortifying the security umbrella for these states in a way of ensuring the stability of the region and to contain the Iranian influence."

Al Manar: Iran confuses the Zionist enemy and she intensifies efforts to encircle her: “The condition of confusion and fear [of Iran] that the Israeli lives in summoned him to serious motion and with all his energy to surround Iran, so officials of the enemy government intensified their diplomatic efforts of coordination with the US to muster up support for the project/decision in the Security Council to impose a fourth package of sanctions against Iran to disrupt or hinder her nuclear program. And in the framework of this movement toward the side of discussing different security and political concerns, Head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen arrived in Tel Aviv today, and in parallel, Israeli PM Benyamin Netanyahu heads to Moscow. And Israel and the States are carrying out next week “a strategic dialogue”, the first held during the Obama administration.”

Expected comments from these sources. I'm sure most people in the Arab world however wish that Obama would prioritize the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and if he could just "solve that" like so many people in the region think that he should be capable of doing easily (don't we all wish), then they can give their firm support to US and regional security interests with respect to Iran.

Oman, as usual, is left out of most of the policy debate. And I'm not sure if the Sultan will have the privilege of welcoming any US envoys or even assistants to the assistant in the State Department. Yet Oman is uniquely situated in this debate on Iran. As the NY Times realized and reported last year: "The close ties between Iran and Oman, and the reasons behind them, help explain the West’s failure to cripple Iran with trade sanctions, as well as the inability of Iran’s Arab opponents to build a unified opposition to its growing regional influence." Oman maintains pretty peaceable relations with all countries, and Iran is a strategic partner on issues of energy, industry, and trade to central Asia. Is anyone courting Oman's support during this debate? Is it seen as a lost cause?