Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Meets Iranian Foreign Minister in Al-Baraka Palace

MUSCAT — Sultan Haitham bin Tariq received Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at Al-Baraka Palace on Sunday for talks centered on the rapidly evolving regional landscape and joint efforts to de-escalate conflicts across the Middle East, Omani state media reported. The meeting, attended by senior Omani officials including Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Al-Busaidi, underscored the growing strategic dialogue between Muscat and Tehran at a moment of acute tension stretching from Gaza to the Strait of Hormuz.

The Sultan and the visiting minister reviewed bilateral ties between the two neighboring states and exchanged views on a range of regional and international files of mutual concern, with particular focus on the war in Gaza, the situation in Yemen, and ongoing diplomatic tracks aimed at containing wider escalation. The discussions also touched on maritime security in the Gulf and the importance of preserving freedom of navigation, an issue that has taken on renewed urgency amid recurring incidents in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.

Araghchi conveyed the greetings of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Omani monarch and reaffirmed Tehran's commitment to deepening cooperation with Muscat across political, economic and security domains. The Sultan, in turn, reiterated Oman's longstanding policy of mediation and quiet diplomacy, expressing the Sultanate's readiness to continue facilitating dialogue between regional and international parties in pursuit of lasting stability.

Oman has historically played a discreet but pivotal role as a back-channel between Iran and Western powers, most notably hosting the early talks that paved the way for the 2015 nuclear accord. In recent months, Muscat has resumed shuttle diplomacy on the Iran nuclear file and has been actively engaged in efforts to halt Houthi attacks on commercial shipping. The Sultanate's balanced posture, maintaining strong ties with both Tehran and Washington as well as fellow Gulf Cooperation Council states, has positioned it as one of the few credible mediators in a region polarized by overlapping conflicts.

For Doha, the meeting in Muscat reinforces a broader Gulf trend toward diplomatic engagement rather than confrontation with Iran, a path Qatar itself has championed through sustained dialogue with Tehran on energy, security and humanitarian files. Qatari officials have repeatedly underlined that de-escalation in the Gulf and a ceasefire in Gaza are mutually reinforcing objectives. Analysts in the region say the Omani-Iranian engagement complements Qatar's mediation work on Gaza and the Lebanese front, signaling a coordinated, if informal, Gulf push to prevent the region from sliding into a wider war.