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ICANN punts on Oman meeting decision

Kevin Murphy, May 7, 2026, Gossip

There can be few in the ICANN community feeling confident that the Org’s annual general meeting is going to take place in Oman, as currently planned, but its board has kicked the can on a decision to go ahead or cancel.

The AGM is due to happen in Muscat from October 17, but the US-Israel war on Iran has raised serious question marks about the venue’s suitability to host a large international meeting.

Oman has been one of several allied countries targeted by Iranian retaliatory drone and missile strikes. Three people were killed there by such attacks in March, at the start of the war.

With news about the likely end date of the conflict changing on a daily basis, and seemingly subject to the whims and domestic pressures of Donald Trump, it remains unclear whether Muscat will be a safe or practical destination come October.

ICANN’s board of directors had “October 2026 ICANN Meeting Venue Contracting” on its consent agenda for its meeting last Sunday, but there’s currently no published resolution, if one was passed.

It’s possible that the motion was shunted from the consent agenda to the main agenda, where two “confidential” topics were discussed. But the absence of a public announcement suggests no decision to relocate the meeting has yet been taken.

The likely issue with Oman as a destination likely isn’t so much one of safety — though that is certainly a concern — but one of practicality. Air travel in the region has been seriously complicated by the war.

I recently had a 12-hour layover in Abu Dhabi, another Iranian target, and had to take shelter from drone or missile attacks at the airport on five separate occasions.

While that’s no joke, it was quite chucklesome that the UAE government’s alerts, pushed automatically to every phone in the danger zone, were signed off with “MOI” for Ministry of Interior, which my phone decided to read aloud in an almost flirtatious female voice as “mwah”.

ICANN ditches Oman due to Middle-East conflicts

Kevin Murphy, July 2, 2025, Domain Policy

ICANN is relocating its next meeting, scheduled for this October in Muscat, Oman, due to travel difficulties and uncertainties caused by the ongoing conflicts in the region.

The meeting, ICANN’s 2025 Annual General Meeting, will now take place in Dublin, Ireland from October 25 to 30, the same dates as the Oman meeting was meant to take place, Org said.

“Recent developments, including associated flight disruptions and impending timelines related to planning the meeting, made it prudent and necessary to select an alternative and available location,” ICANN said.

While Oman is not involved in any current hostilities, other than as a mediator, Israel’s recent strikes on Iran have caused some busy air corridors in the region to be shut down.

Oman is over 2,000 kilometres distant from Israel, and just across the Gulf of Iran from Iran.

The switch will be frustrating not only for Omanis but also to community members from further afield who have booked their travel early or paid for visas and might have limited refund options. Dublin’s a way more expensive city to visit for travelers on a budget, too.

It also sucks for the organizers of Domain Days Dubai, the upcoming domainer conference. It is scheduled to take place in nearby Dubai immediately before ICANN 84.

ICANN has visited Dublin once before, exactly 10 years before the upcoming ICANN 84.

The Org hinted that Muscat could be selected for a future meeting, when and if things settle down.