Sultan Qaboos, Longest-Reigning Arab Monarch, Has Died at 79

Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the Omani leader who turned an isolated Middle Eastern country torn by civil war into a stable oil exporter and an ally to both the U.S. and Iran, has died at age 79.

The royal family decided to honor Qaboos’ wishes by picking the successor he designated in a letter, Haitham bin Tariq bin Taimur Al Said, one of his cousins.