TEHRAN – President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran has described the Sultanate of Oman as a “sincere and reliable friend” and said the will of the two countries for developing and emerging ties is highly important.

President Raisi made the remarks in a meeting with Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said.

The Iranian president went on to say that Iran sees Oman as “friend” and  “brother” and “we warmly press the hands of Omanis”.

He also said that “political trust” between Iran and Oman has reached a “new stage”.

For his part, the Sultan of Oman said, “We extend the hand of friendship toward the neighboring and friendly country of Iran.”

The Omani leader also said the level of commercial ties between the two countries are not commensurate with the level of political cooperation.

“For promotion of commercial exchanges, we need new planning,” Haitham bin Tariq Al Said suggested.

“Good Iran-Oman ties to help increase regional cooperation”

Raeisi, who returned home from his visit to Muscat early on Tuesday, said good relations between the two countries will help increase cooperation across the region. He said Tehran and Muscat agree on many issues.

“In meetings with senior Omani officials, it was emphasized that it is necessary for the two countries to have this cooperation at the regional and international levels, even as the positions of the two countries are remarkably in sync on many issues,” the president said upon his arrival at Mehrabad Airport, Press TV reported.

Raisi said economic actors and traders of the two countries discussed their problems in the fields of trade, money transfer, financial, banking and customs issues in a meeting with Oman’s minister of industry.

It was decided that obstacles will be removed soon to pave the way for trade and economic work, he added.

“Both Omani and Iranian traders are not much familiar with the capacities of the two countries,” he noted. “Therefore, the necessity of establishing an Iranian trade office in Oman was felt and it was considered that this office should be established as soon as possible in order to introduce the capacities of the two countries to economic actors.”

During the trip, Iranian and Omani officials signed 12 cooperation documents and memorandums of understanding in various fields. The documents were signed in the areas of energy, politics, transportation, diplomacy, economy, tourism, sports and the environment by the two countries' ministers and high-ranking officials. The documents were signed at the presence of President Raisi and Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said.

Centuries-old ties

In a meeting with Oman’s Deputy Prime Minister Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al-Said on Monday, Raisi said Iran-Oman relations are not limited to neighborliness, and that the deep religious and doctrinal interests and commonalities of the two nations have been linked for centuries.

Stressing that Tehran-Muscat relations have always been good and constructive throughout history, the Iranian president said, "Although we see good relations between the two countries, but this level of relationship is not convincing."

Raisi underscored the need to revive various neglected capacities between Iran and Oman, noting that the amount of trade, transportation and economic cooperation between Tehran and Muscat, especially in the field of energy and transit of goods, can certainly increase.

Pointing to Iran's progress in industry and medicine, Raisi said Iran can be a good choice for Omani people in the field of health and medicine, according to Press TV

“Despite U.S. threats and sanctions, the Islamic Republic has made great headway in areas mostly affected by sanctions, such as the peaceful nuclear, medical, and defense industries,” the president underlined.

In addition to the use of foreign vaccines against the Covid-19, the president said, six Iranian companies produced the jabs, of which four companies took advantage of indigenous knowledge, and the vaccines are currently being exported.

“The Westerners and Americans aimed to stop Iran's progress with sanctions, but everyone saw that the Americans themselves admitted to their disgraceful failure of the maximum pressure campaign,” he said.

Raisi also said, “Nuclear weapons have absolutely no place in Iran's doctrine, but we use peaceful nuclear energy for agriculture, medicine and the petrochemical industry."

For his part, Mahmoud al-Said pointed to historical and brotherly relations between the two nations, saying, “Development of relations between the two countries is the result of a mutual understanding between the leaders of Iran and Oman."

"Iran-Oman relations will not be limited to economic and trade relations and will include such major areas as political interactions and cooperation," he added.

The Omani deputy prime minister also lauded Iran as an ancient and historical country.

Since taking office in August, Raisi has emphasized the need for more trade and economic cooperation with Arab countries on the southern shores of the Persian Gulf.

His administration has reached major agreements with Qatar while trade delegates have been dispatched to the United Arab Emirates and Oman in recent months to explore increased economic ties with those states.

Figures by the Iranian customs office show trade between Iran and Oman reached $1.3 billion over the Persian calendar year to late March, a record high and an increase of 53% against the previous year, Press TV said.

*President Ebrahim Raeisi (R) meets with Oman’s Deputy Prime Minister Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al-Said in the capital, Muscat, on May 23, 2022. (Photo by Fars News Agency)