What is the king of Oman looking for in his trip to Iran? – Mehr news agency Iran and world’s news

Mehr-Group International News Agency: It was three days ago that the Sultanate of Oman announced in a statement: In order to strengthen the friendship between the Sultanate of Oman and the Islamic Republic of Iran, in order to strengthen the important relations and good neighborliness, and in order to respond to the call of Ibrahim Raisi, the President of Iran, with the help of God Sultan will have a two-day trip to Iran, which will start on Sunday, May 28, 2023. This trip is in line with the continuation of consultation and coordination between the parties in order to review regional developments and the international situation and promote cooperation between the two countries in all fields and ways of its development in a way that serves the relations of the two countries.

In this trip, Haitham bin Tariq, the Sultan of Oman, was accompanied by a high-ranking delegation including; Shahab bin Tariq al-Said, Deputy Prime Minister for Defense Affairs, Khalid bin Hilal Al-Busaidi, Minister of Sultanate Affairs, Major General Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Numaani, Minister of the Court, Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sultan bin Salem Al-Habsi, Minister of Finance, Hamad bin Saeed Al-Awfi, Chief of Staff, Abdulsalam bin Muhammad Al Murshidi, Chairman of the Oman Investment Authority, Qais bin Muhammad Al Youssef, Minister of Commerce and Industries, Salem bin Nasser Al Awfi, Minister of Energy and Mines, Admiral Abdullah bin Khamis Al Raisi, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, and Ibrahim bin Ahmad Al Muaini, Oman’s ambassador to Iran, are accompanying him.

An overview of the history of relations between Iran and Oman

Iran has the best and closest relations with the Sultanate of Oman among the 6 coastal countries in the south of the Persian Gulf. Relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Oman are of particular importance in terms of the neighborhood and nobility of both countries on the strategic Strait of Hormuz, as well as cultural and religious commonalities and historical background.

Both in the periods before the Islamic revolution and in different stages after the revolution, the two countries have welcomed the expansion of relations and there has been no special issue that would cause a crisis in bilateral relations.

Before the revolution, the sending of Iranian military forces to Oman to support the government of Sultan Qaboos in the Dhofar war and to fight against the separatists helped preserve the integrity of Oman. The military operations of the Iranian army in the Dhofar war played a prominent role in changing the situation in favor of the Kingdom of Oman and suppressing the opposition.

Relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Oman since the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran system have seen three periods of initial stagnation, reconstruction, and a period of consolidation and development.

Excellent relationships

The relations between Iran and Oman can be considered an ideal model of regional relations, both before and after the Islamic Revolution, the two countries maintained their relations even at the peak of regional polarization. The relations between Iran and Oman are not only limited to the neighborhood, but the deep religious and belief interests and commonalities of these two nations have been linked to each other for centuries.

The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Sultanate of Oman have had stable and good relations with each other for many years, and unlike the relations with other countries in the region, this has not been overshadowed by transitory issues and has always improved from one stage to the next.

Among the countries in the region, Oman is one of the few countries in the Persian Gulf region that has not had a black spot in relation to Iran in the past decades, but the connection between Tehran and Muscat has always been developing.

Successful and silent mediation

Omanis are known as silent mediators. The Kingdom of Oman interprets Iran’s regional position and role as a factor of balance in the region and is stable in developing its relations with Iran. The neighborhood of Iran and Oman in the Strait of Hormuz and the geopolitical and geostrategic importance of this strait are very important. In recent years, bilateral relations between Iran and Oman have been favorable in the political dimension and indicate mutual cooperation.

For many years, the Sultanate of Oman has been known as a mediator in the region with its peace-based diplomacy and tendency towards neutrality. Despite being located in a sensitive and tense geographical area, Oman has been able to stay away from conflict and crisis for decades and has even played the role of mediator for its neighbors many times.

Since 2006, Muscat not only played a role in the negotiations related to non-Iranian prisoners such as 12 British sailors and three American mountaineers, but also in several cases caused the release of Iranian prisoners in other countries.

In recent years, Oman has always been mentioned as one of the main mediators between the West and the Islamic Republic. In the latest case on Friday, Belgium and Iran reached an agreement to exchange their prisoners with the mediation of Oman. According to this agreement, Asadullah Asadi, one of the senior diplomats of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the embassy of our country in Austria, was sentenced to prison in Belgium and was serving a 20-year sentence in one of the prisons of this country. He returned to the country with the mediation of Muscat.

The role of Oman in bringing the views of Iran and Egypt closer together

Bashir Abdul Fattah, an expert at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, said: The Sultanate of Oman is the only Arab country that did not cut ties with Egypt after the peace agreement with Israel. Oman has maintained its relations since a long time and this is the characteristic of the relations between the two countries.

He added: Oman is used to mediating between Iran and several Arab countries and between Iran and the United States, and as a result, it is not unlikely that the Sultan of Oman’s visit to Egypt will include a special trip to deepen the convergence between Cairo and Tehran, especially after the announcement of the day’s visit. Sultan of Oman will be in Tehran on Sunday Oman is used to mediating between Iran and several Arab countries and between Iran and the United States.

He added: Iran’s convergence with the Arab countries already started with China’s mediation between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Iran, the UAE and Egypt, and this convergence has started and will continue, especially since the countries of the region have understood that other parties benefit from these disputes. This emphasizes the importance of focusing on dialogue and understanding rather than confrontation and conflict.

An important journey with hidden angles

The question that has occupied the minds of analysts in the past few days is whether one of the most important axes of consultation between the Sultan of Oman in Tehran and the high-ranking officials of our country will be the nuclear issue of Iran? Does Haytham Bin Tariq carry messages from the West and especially the United States for Iran and is he seeking to unravel the process of revitalizing the JCPOA? Is the Sultan of Oman looking for mediation between Iran and America?

It is certain that the Sultan’s personal visit to Iran is an indication of the importance of the issues discussed because if the issue was normal, there would undoubtedly be easier diplomatic channels. Ben Tariq is trying to use all the potential available to him. This trip takes place in the midst of convergence in the region. The process that started with the agreement between Riyadh and Tehran and continued with the strengthening of relations between Iran and the UAE, and there are discussions in media circles about the improvement of relations between Iran and Egypt.

Oman has had a unique policy for a long time, which is to avoid dramatic action. Oman acts quietly and proceeds until the mediation is completed. Oman’s role in important agreements and international positions is evident to everyone. The Sultan of Oman’s recent visit to Egypt took place in line with the policy of zero differences between countries. The position that Oman has with Cairo makes it play a positive role in the region and restore relations between Cairo and Tehran.

The signing of several memorandums of understanding and cooperation programs between Iran and Oman and the significant increase in the volume of exchanges between the two countries show the important relations between Iran and Oman, and this gives Muscat great power to mediate between Tehran and Arab and non-Arab capitals.

Sultan Haitham has followed in the footsteps of the late Sultan Qaboos and acts as a bringer of peace and a powerful mediator. The art of Sultan Haitham, like the late Sultan Qaboos, is successful mediation, reducing tension and strengthening stability in the region by establishing good relations with all parties and opening blind knots in relations between countries.