The Sultan of Oman Qaboos bin Said dies aged 79! Tributes flow in

Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman, passed away on Friday aged 79, after ruling over Oman for 50 years.

The cause of death is unknown for now but he was undergoing treatments for cancer since 2014. He was the longest serving ruler who put in a lot of hard work into turning Oman into a developed nation.

He left no heir but his cousin Haitham bin Tariq al-Said was named as his successor in a smooth transition.

With his death, the region loses a leader seen as the father of modern Oman, who balanced ties between two neighbors locked in a regional struggle, Saudi Arabia to the west and Iran to the north, as well as the United States. In a televised speech, Haitham promised to uphold Muscat’s policy of peaceful coexistence with all nations while further developing Oman.

“We will continue to assist in resolving disputes peacefully,” he said. Oman and other Gulf states declared three days of official mourning with flags at half-mast for the Western-backed Qaboos, 79, who ruled since taking over in a bloodless coup in 1970 with the help of former colonial power Britain.

UK's Prime Minister Boris Johnson's statement on the death of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said:

HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai sent his condolences to the people of Oman:

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رحل سلطان الوفاء والمحبة والحكمة ... رحل السلطان قابوس طيب الله ثراه ... تعازينا لإخوتنا في عمان..تعازينا للأمة العربية والإسلامية ... تعازينا لكل محب لعمان الثقافة والتاريخ والأصالة .. ونسأل الله أن يلهم الشعب الشقيق الصبر والسلوان ويجعل الفردوس الأعلى مثوى قائد النهضة العمانية

A post shared by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (@hhshkmohd) on Jan 10, 2020 at 8:38pm PST

Fazza also shared a photo and sent his condolences:

Oman's new ruler vowed Saturday to uphold his predecessor Sultan Qaboos bin Said's foreign policy approach, which steered the Arab country through choppy Persian Gulf waters by balancing close relations with both the United States and Iran.