Haitham bin Tariq takes oath as Oman's new sultan

Haitham bin Tariq al-Said took the oath of allegiance on Saturday as Sultan of Oman after the death of longtime ruler Qaboos, state television announced.

Sultan Qaboos died on Friday at the age of 79 after a long battle with illness.

Oman declared three days of official mourning with flags to be flown at half-mast for 40 days 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.

State television said authorities had opened a letter by Qaboos naming his successor, without elaborating, before announcing Haitham bin Tariq as the new ruler.

Qaboos had ruled Oman since 1970 and was the eighth sultan of the House of Al Said. He was the longest-serving monarch among the recent Arab rulers.

State television broadcast images of the funeral procession driving down a road lined with palm trees. The casket, draped in the Omani flag, was then carried into Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in the capital Muscat, where prayers were being held.

State news agency ONA did not give a cause of death, but Qaboos had been unwell for years and spent a week in Belgium for treatment last month.