Omani Sultan Haitham bin Tariq began his first visit to Tehran, during which he would meet with Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi to discuss regional and international developments. This visit comes in the midst of a diplomatic rapprochement against the backdrop of the Iranian-Saudi “reconciliation” about three months ago in Beijing, in which Muscat was one of the mediating parties.
Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, who previously played a mediating role between Iran and Western countries on important files, including the nuclear file, arrived in Tehran for a two-day visit. He was received this Sunday afternoon by Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber at Mehrabad International Airport.
“This historic visit reflects the importance attached by the leadership of the two countries to supporting the causes of peace, stability and prosperity,” the Sultanate’s foreign minister, Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi, said in a post on Twitter.
The visit of the Omani Sultan comes nearly a year after a visit by Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi to Muscat, during which cooperation agreements were signed.
Al-Busaidi added, in a statement to the “Omani Affairs” website, that the timing of this visit comes “in the midst of a new and positive phase of regional relations, which calls on” the countries of the region “to support them, consult and cooperate to solve many current files and issues.”
While the Diwan of the Royal Court affirmed that the visit comes “to strengthen the friendship ties between the Sultanate of Oman and the friendly Islamic Republic of Iran, and to consolidate the fruitful relations and good neighborliness between them and in response to the kind invitation of His Excellency President Dr. It would improve the existing aspects of cooperation between the two countries.
Iran has close political and economic relations with the Sultanate of Oman, which kept its diplomatic representation in Tehran unchanged at the beginning of 2016, despite countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council reviewing their relations with Iran after the crisis between Riyadh and Tehran.
Oman had previously mediated between Tehran and Washington in the run-up to the 2015 agreement on Iran’s nuclear program between Tehran and six major international powers.
The United States unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018, and re-imposed harsh sanctions on Tehran. The parties to the agreement, with indirect participation from the United States, began talks aimed at reviving it in April 2021, but they stalled as of last September.
Bin Tariq’s visit to Tehran comes weeks after Saudi Arabia and Iran concluded an agreement sponsored by China in March to restore diplomatic relations between them. Tehran has recently strengthened its communication with Gulf capitals, with which relations have cooled in recent years, such as Abu Dhabi and Kuwait.
It also comes in light of reports of communication between Tehran and Cairo that may lead to raising diplomatic representation between them to the level of ambassador.
Sultan Haitham visited Egypt last week, where he met President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. Muscat also played roles in the exchange of prisoners between the Islamic Republic and Western countries.
