The importance of Raisi’s trip to Oman from the point of view of the European think tank

According to IRNA, Ayatollah Seyyed Ibrahim Ra’isi arrived in Muscat, the capital of Oman, on Monday morning, during his fifth visit as President of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The website of the Geneva-based Diplomatic Officers think tank wrote about the importance of the trip:

Haitham bin Tariq al-Saeed, the Sultan of Oman, has invited the President of Iran to his country for talks. Bilateral economic, political and cultural relations will be discussed during a meeting between the President of Oman and the Sultan of Oman in Muscat on Monday (May 23rd).

Last week, a delegation of 50 Iranian businessmen and economic activists visited Oman to pave the way for expanding trade relations between the two countries.

In fact, in addition to meeting with the Sultan of Oman, the Iranian president is expected to sign a series of cooperation agreements and hold talks with Iranians living in Oman and Omani businessmen in the Arab country.

This is the fifth visit of the President of Iran since taking office in August 2021, and this meeting is part of the new policy of the Iranian government to expand close relations with its neighbors and promote political, economic and cultural cooperation.

The invitation of the Sultan of Oman also serves to maintain the important role of this country as an active bridge and mediation. Meanwhile, other Sunni sultans in the region are cautiously opening their relations with the Islamic Republic. Playing such a role for the Omani is part of the dimensions of the country’s own global strategy, which has always been particularly recognized by the United States.

Oman plays a particularly important role in the Middle East chessboard and has always mediated between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States.

The country, whose capital is Muscat, has played an important role in the Comprehensive Joint Action Plan (CJAP). Iran’s nuclear deal with former US President Donald Trump’s administration was halted in 2018, as the new US administration tries to change that policy without going too far. For this reason, Oman can be a valuable country to return to the negotiating table.

Qatar is another country that is in a very important position from the American point of view. The US attention to Qatar, especially in the issue of Iran, is for various reasons.

A few days ago, the US State Department released a brief note on the phone call between US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani.

In this call, the US Secretary of State expressed his deepest condolences for the tragic death of Shirin Abu Aqla, a Palestinian-American citizen, and discussed US strong and growing cooperation with Qatar.

Blinken also stressed the constructive role of the Qatari sheikhdom in trying to address issues related to Iran.

Qatar has historically had a relationship with the United States and serves as a strategic hub in the Middle East: it is, in fact, the only country to host the Pentagon’s regional headquarters. It is important for the United States that Doha decides to place three critical positions in its foreign policy and diplomatic priorities.

The first is the crisis in Ukraine and its active role in the armed conflict.

The second is the country’s ongoing contacts with the Taliban, and the third is negotiations with Iran.

The Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamid Al Thani, met with the President of Iran last week. The purpose of this meeting was to find a space to reach a common understanding about the resumption of Barjam.

Another key element in the Doha-Tehran talks, in which Iran has better relations with Qatar than any other country in the Persian Gulf region, is energy.

In fact, the two countries share in the most important natural gas field in the world, namely the South Pome / North Dome gas field, two thirds of which belongs to Qatar. Relying on the existence of this natural gas field, Qatar has pushed its economy forward for many years and will continue this effort in the current situation. Doha is becoming one of the major suppliers of liquefied natural gas to Europe. This is due to Europe trying to cut its energy dependence on Russia for all the reasons that we are all unfortunately aware of.

Therefore, in concluding, we must emphasize that Oman and Qatar are increasingly playing a decisive role in the relations between the Middle East and the West. This role is now more effective. It should also be noted that a de-escalating atmosphere has now been created in the region, especially in the relations between Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iran. Iran has taken a more decisive stance towards other countries. The same is true for Turkey, which seems to be more willing to negotiate than before. This set of factors could be a new stage in the Barjam negotiations.