Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is set to visit Oman on Monday at the invitation of Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, according to the official media in Tehran.
Raisi will travel to Muscat "at the head of a high-level delegation to follow the neighborhood diplomacy of the Popular Government and to expand the fields of economic, political and cultural interactions."
According to the statement, the two sides are scheduled to sign cooperation documents, and the President will meet Iranians residing in Oman.
Before Raisi's visit, a delegation comprising 50 Iranian traders and businessmen visited Oman to lay the groundwork for strengthening bilateral economic and trade relations.
The trip to Muscat is the President's first visit to the country during the term of the new Sultan of Oman and Raisi's fifth foreign visit since he assumed the position.
After assuming the presidency, Raisi said that strengthening relations with neighboring countries is a priority of his government's foreign policy to end Iran's regional isolation and alleviate its economic suffering.
In February, the Iranian presidency announced that Raisi received an invitation from Sultan Haitham to visit Oman.
Tehran has close political and economic relations with Oman, which played the mediator between Iran and the United States, especially during the secret negotiations that preceded the launch of the nuclear talks in 2013.
The Iranian President's visit to Muscat comes when diplomatic efforts are being made to break the deadlock in the talks aimed at reviving this agreement after the US unilaterally withdrew in 2018.
In April 2021, Iran and the major powers relaunched the talks with indirect participation from the US to save this agreement.
The talks were officially suspended in March, and concerned parties confirmed that an understanding is almost accomplished. However, a few disagreements remain, including Iran's request to remove the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO).
Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad stressed during his visit to Tehran on May 12 that Doha is working to advance the stalled talks.
During a visit to Germany on Friday, Sheikh Tamim expressed optimism that an agreement between the United States and Iran could be achieved, voicing readiness to help.
"We reiterate the importance of cooperation between Iran, the EU, and the US," Sheikh Tamim affirmed, stressing the importance of solving outstanding differences peacefully.
Meanwhile, the European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian discussed the latest developments in the Vienna negotiations over the phone.
Abdollahian referred to the "initiatives" that Iran had put forward during the recent visit of Borrell's deputy, Enrique Mora.
The Foreign Minister asserted that Iran is serious about reaching a strong and lasting agreement in the Vienna talks on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, noting that Tehran has the goodwill and required determination to this end.
According to the Foreign Ministry, Borrell referred to the initiatives put forward by Iran throughout the negotiations.
“We are currently on the new path of continuing the negotiations and focusing on the solutions," said Borrell, adding that he is determined to continue the ongoing contacts between Tehran and Washington, expressing optimism about reaching a good result.
