MUSCAT: Sultan and Prime Minister of OmanHaitham bin Tariq would visit Iran this week, Omani state media stated on Wednesday. The two-day official visit that would commence on Sunday would follow a Chinese-brokered long-awaited rapprochement deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia, announced in March this year.
According to the official media of Oman, the visit of the Sultan to Iran was arranged after the Iranian President extended an invitation to Haitham bin Tariq.
The visit would also cover exploring means to promote cooperation between Iran and Oman in different sectors, it added.
Sultan of Oman is visiting Iran a year after when Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi paid a visit to Muscat when the two sides signed many deals related to trade.
Importance of Sultan’s Visit to Iran
In addition, being a close ally of Iran, Oman played a significant mediating role between Washington and Tehran in the build-up to a nuclear deal reached in 2015.
Stop-start negotiations resumed in April last year to restore the deal after the US unilaterally withdrew from it in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Tehran, prompting Iran to roll back its commitments.
Sultan’s visit to Iran is crucial in both aspects. First, having friendly ties with Tehran, the role of Oman would be significant in strengthening relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Second, being a mediator between Iran and US in the past, Muscat’s position is still tangible.
