Iranian, Omani FMs meet for regional security talks

ByNews Desk- The Cradle

The two foreign ministers discussed the JCPOA, Palestine, the ongoing reconciliation talks in Yemen, and the conflict in Sudan

Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, met with his Omani counterpart, Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, in Muscat to discuss developments in Yemen as well as the current status of the nuclear deal between Iran and several other nations, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

According to the state-run Iranian news agency IRNA, Amir-Abdollahian affirmed Tehran’s gratitude for Oman’s “positive role” in mediation efforts in the JCPOA nuclear talks.

When speaking to IRNA, Amir-Abdollahian clarified that the two foreign ministers also discussed the expansion of bilateral relations between Oman and Iran, regional developments – specifically in Palestine – the reconciliation talks that are ongoing in Yemen, and the conflict in Sudan.

Amir-Abdollahian reiterated that Oman played a significant role in prisoner exchanges between the Islamic Republic and the west, alongside mediating contact between Saudi Arabia and Iran leading up to their reconciliation agreement, which was signed in Beijing last month.

This is the third time Amir-Abdollahian has traveled to Muscat since assuming the position of foreign minister. The two foreign ministers also held a telephone conversation on 17 April, which revolved around reviewing their nations’ relations and international issues.

Earlier this month, the Executive Director of the Iranian Gas Engineering and Development Company, Reza Noshadi, announced that Tehran is currently operating to establish a pipeline running through Koh Mubarak and Minab in order to export gas to Oman.

In an interview with Tasnim News Agency on 28 December, Iranian Ambassador to Oman Ali Najafi Khoshroudi said that the value of annual trade between Iran and Oman has increased by 73 percent over the past eight months and is expected to reach $2 billion by March of 2023.

A year earlier, in July of 2021, Iran inaugurated an oil terminal in the Sea of Oman, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, in a strategic move to neutralize the impact of US sanctions on Iranian oil shipments abroad. Oman is the only GCC member that has strong diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic.