Omani FM Holds Talks in Tehran

EghtesadOnline: Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi has traveled to Tehran on Monday to hold talks with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammed Javad Zarif, amid rising tensions between Iran and the United States.

News ID: ۷۴۷۳۸۵

21 May 2019

ISNA, citing a Foreign Ministry press release, reported that the top diplomats “discussed bilateral relations and the most significant regional and international issues”, without giving more details.

The Persian Gulf Arab state has in the past served as an intermediary between Tehran and Washington that are currently embroiled in a bitter dispute triggered by US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear accord last year and reimpose sweeping sanctions on Tehran.

The talks have been scheduled amid heightened tensions in the region, with the US sending warships and bombers to counter alleged unspecified threats from Iran, according to Financial Tribune.

The United Nations, the remaining parties to the nuclear agreement, namely Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia, and regional countries, including Qatar and Iraq, have urged Iran and the US to show “restraint”, warning that any miscalculation by either side could lead to a full-blown conflict with devastating repercussions for the region.