India To Expand Middle East Ties With Oman Trade Deal: Report

"It will help India with a strategic partner and access to key trade routes in a volatile region," one official told Reuters.

India and Oman will sign a trade deal in the coming months, two Indian government officials said, as New Delhi seeks to expand its ties in the Middle East, where rising tensions are putting major shipping routes at risk.

"It will help India with a strategic partner and access to key trade routes in a volatile region," one official told Reuters.

India and Oman have annual trade of less than $13 billion, but the relationship is important for New Delhi as the Gulf nation is a gateway to the narrow Strait of Hormuz between Oman and Iran, a major transit point for global oil shipments.