Oman’s Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the longest-ruling monarch in the Mideast, has died at that age of 79, the country’s state-run news agency confirmed on Saturday. The sultan was thought to be fighting cancer. The British-educated sultan is credited with reforming Oman when he came to power in 1970 during a palace coup, overturning harsh laws that banned electricity, radios, eyeglasses and umbrellas, according to the Associated Press. He was also instrumental as an important liaison who worked to balance diplomatic ties between Iran and the United States.