Pars Today

Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said has arrived in the Iranian capital of Tehran, leading a high-ranking delegation at the invitation of President Ebrahim Raeisi.

Sultan Haitham was warmly welcomed by Raeisi's vice-president at Tehran's Mehrabad Airport upon arrival on Sunday.

Raeisi also welcomed the Sultan of Oman and his accompanying delegation during a formal reception ceremony at the Saadabad Palace in northern Tehran.

The two leaders held private discussions. They are scheduled to sign four cooperation documents in the fields of economy, investment and energy.

Oman has long been an interlocutor in interactions between the West and Iran. The country has mediated the release of several foreign citizens and dual nationals.

On Friday, Tehran freed Belgian spy Olivier Vandecasteele, who had been working under the guise of an aid worker. The Belgian national had been in custody for virtually 15 months and was released in exchange for Iranian diplomat Assadollah Assadi, who had been held in Belgium on false terror-related charges.

Oman has also played a mediating role between Tehran and the West in the build-up to a nuclear deal Iran and world powers reached in 2015.

The deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), collapsed in 2018 after Washington unilaterally withdrew from it and re-imposed sanctions, prompting Iran to suspend the implementation of its own commitments under the landmark accord.

Iran’s president traveled to Muscat on a key visit last May, during which Iranian and Omani officials signed 12 cooperation documents and memorandums of understanding for the expansion of bilateral cooperation in various fields.

The two-day visit by the Omani leader has been hailed by both sides as marking “a new chapter” in bilateral relations.

The invitation to Sultan Haitham was extended as part of the Raeisi administration’s policy of deepening relations with regional countries.

MG