Iran, Oman Hope to Turn Ties into Regional Model

On Wednesday morning, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani arrived in Oman, making his first official visit to a Persian Gulf state since taking the office in August 2013.

Later in the day, the Iranian president, heading a high-ranking delegation comprised of a number of his cabinet ministers and aides, held a meeting with Oman’s Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said in Muscat.

The high-profile meeting covered a broad range of issues, while the both leaders expressed the hope that cordial ties between Tehran and Muscat would become the example of strong relations in the region.

The two sides also called for the expansion of ties in various grounds such as energy, shipping industry, customs service, financial and monetary issues, environmental topics, tourism, as well as scientific and academic cooperation.

President Rouhani and  Sultan Qaboos also discussed the regional developments and the violent clashes that have wreaked havoc on the Middle East, as both of them underlined that enhancement of ties between the regional countries is necessary to ease the tensions.

Furthermore, the two heads of state pointed to the strategic position of Iran and Oman in light of the Strait of Hormuz, and emphasized the necessity for increased security in the maritime zone given the close ties between the two Muslim nations.

The Iranian president has paid the official visit to Oman at the invitation of Sultan Qaboos.  

Rouhani has already visited several foreign states during his tenure, albeit to participate in various international conferences or official gatherings, such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the UN General Assembly.

However, the trip to Oman marks Rouhani’s first tour of a foreign country as an official diplomatic visit, with the talk of bilateral relations on the agenda.

The Omani Sultan had in August travelled to Tehran to be the first head of state to pay an official visit to Iran during Rouhani’s term.