Iran and Oman to strengthen ties amid Gulf crisis

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, right, welcomes Omani Foreign Minister Yousuf bin Alawi for their meeting in Tehran, Iran on Wednesday. (AP)

TEHRAN: Iran and Oman will work to boost their ties, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday, as a diplomatic crisis persists in the Gulf.
“Iran and Oman have for years had fraternal relations and the best must be made of these good relations to reinforce them,” Rouhani said as he met Oman’s foreign minister.
The Iranian government’s website reported Foreign Minister Yussef bin Alawi as replying: “Omani leaders believe our ties should be developed.”
Oman, which has maintained ties with Qatar, took part this week in a string of Kuwaiti and US-led talks toward resolving the crisis. Rouhani slammed the sanctions imposed on Doha, which Qatar has called a “blockade”. “Threatening, pressuring and imposing a blockade against neighbors, including Qatar, is an erroneous method and everyone must try to reduce the tensions in the region,” he said.
He also criticized “the policies of certain countries in the region against Syria, Yemen and Bahrain.”