Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is to meet his Omani counterpart Yusuf bin Alawi in Muscat on Monday before heading to Qatar, at a time when Tehran is facing US accusations regarding its regional attitude.
Zarif will hold discussions with Alawi on regional developments such as in Iraq, Syria and Yemen in addition to Gulf topics. After Muscat, Zarif is expected to head to Doha. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi stated that Zarif will also meet high-rank officials in the two countries.
His visit comes one week after Qatari foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani accused the boycott countries of offering Iran a gift, saying that their procedures are pushing Doha towards Tehran.
As for the nuclear deal, its future is still uncertain. AFP quoted the Qatari minister as saying that the region is in need of a country that has nuclear weapons. “The agreement is good but we need a better solution,” he added.
This is the first foreign visit to Zarif after his return from New York.
Furthermore, foreign ministers of Iran and Oman will discuss possible ways of cooperation in fields of energy and gas transportation to Oman and India. FM of Iran, Oman and India met one week ago on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York where they discussed cooperation in the energy field.
Bin Alawi visited Tehran mid of July and held talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and the foreign minister, following Rouhani’s visit to Oman and Kuwait earlier in an attempt to reform ties with Gulf states.
