Oman’s sultan breaks with the past in economics

WHEN TWO British prisoners were freed from Iran in March, it was no surprise that Oman was their first stop. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori, held for years on bogus espionage charges, were freed as part of a deal that saw Britain settle an old debt with Iran. Oman was the essential middleman, providing an air-force jet to fly the prisoners to freedom and a bank to serve as a conduit for the British payment.Two years have passed since Sultan Haitham replaced his late cousin, Qaboos, who had ruled for five decades. Not much was known about him when he took over. Qaboos never publicly named a successor. It was unclear what to expect from the new man, whose hitherto humdrum career had consisted—among other responsibilities—of working in foreign affairs, cherishing the national heritage, watching football matches and running the census.