Oman’s top diplomat meets with Zarif in Tehran for second time in a week

TEHRAN, Iran — Top Iranian diplomat Mohammad Javad Zarif hosts his Omani counterpart Yusuf bin Alawi today for the second time in a week for talks on security in the sensitive Gulf.

Alawi is making the visit to Tehran on the tail end of his trip to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, which Zarif skipped after scheduling changes to the annual event.

Zarif and Alawi discussed “bilateral cooperation regarding the Strait of Hormuz and emphasised their governments’ will… to guarantee maritime and energy security for all,” Iran’s foreign ministry says in a statement.

It is their second meeting in the Iranian capital since Tuesday and at least their fourth encounter since late July.

Tensions have soared in the region and especially between Tehran and Washington since a US drone strike killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad on January 3.

Iran retaliated five days later by launching a wave of missiles at US troops stationed in Iraq.

Tehran had been on high alert hours later when its air defenses mistakenly shot down a Ukraine International Airlines passenger jet, killing all 176 people on board.

Oman has often acted as a mediator between Iran and its regional foes and also played a key role in facilitating talks involving the United States that lead to the 2015 nuclear deal.

US President Donald Trump’s administration withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and began reimposing sanctions on the Islamic Republic, which retaliated by scaling back some of its nuclear commitments.

— AFP