In this episode we look at Oman. Recorded during a media briefing, Daniel J. Levy speaks with Marc Sievers, former US Ambassador to Oman, about the latest indirect US–Iran nuclear talks and why Oman so often sits at the centre of regional diplomacy. Sievers explains how Oman’s distinctive relationship with Iran developed from the Sultan Qaboos era, how it shaped backchannel engagement during the JCPOA years, and what changed under “maximum pressure” when the US withdrew from the deal.

Retired Ambassador Marc Sievers is now the Director of AJC Abu Dhabi: The Sidney Lerner Centre for Arab-Jewish Understanding. He served as a US diplomat for more than 30 years across the Middle East and North Africa, including postings in Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Morocco and Saudi Arabia.