Britain's King Charles to host Oman's Sultan for October state visit

LONDON, Sept 3 - Britain's King Charles and his wife Queen Camilla will host Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq at Windsor Castle for a state visit next month, Buckingham Palace said on Thursday.The visit from October 20 to 22 will come against the backdrop of escalating tensions in the Middle East since U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran in February, which prompted retaliatory strikes on Israel and Gulf states that host U.S. bases.U.S. President Donald Trump has also threatened to bomb Oman - which has been in talks with Iran aimed at restoring commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz - if it "gets in the way".So far this year, the British royals have hosted state visits by Trump in April and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu in March. REUTERS