Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visits Oman to meet Sultan Haitham

Talks between the two countries will focus on strengthening political and economic relations

Oman's Sultan Haitham with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (C) at the airport in Muscat on Monday. EPA
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Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi arrived in Oman on Monday for an official one-day visit to enhance ties between the two countries.

Mr Raisi was greeted by Oman's Sultan Haitham at the Royal Special Airport in the capital Muscat.

The Iranian president is leading a high-level delegation during his first visit to the country since he took office last year.

The visit is “in reiteration of the good neighbourliness and advanced relations that will bind the Sultanate of Oman and the Islamic Republic of Iran”, said Oman's Foreign Ministry.

Talks between the two countries will focus on strengthening political and economic relations, it said.

“May God Almighty grant the two wise leaderships success to serve their countries and the Islamic nation,” the ministry statement said.

The ministry tweeted later that Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi met the visiting Iranian leader at Al Alam Palace in Muscat.

The two countries are expected to sign several agreements in the fields of economy and commerce, Oman's state news agency said.

Commercial deals signed between the two last year reached $1.3 billion, it said.

Iran's semi-official news agency said on Saturday that Tehran had agreed to push forward with a project to carry Iranian gas to Oman that had been stalled for nearly two decades.

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The agreement to restore the project was reached during a trip to Oman by Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji that took place before Mr Raisi's visit.

A deal was signed in 2013, valued at $60bn over 25 years, for Iran to supply gas to Oman through an undersea pipeline.

However, the project was put on hold due to price disagreements and US pressure on Oman to find other suppliers.

Updated: May 23, 2022, 3:44 PM