The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced that he would welcome the resumption of diplomatic relations with Egypt, during a meeting with the Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq.

Edited by| Hugh Gey

Middle East  section -  CJ journalist

Tehran – May ,30,2023

Relations between Tehran and Cairo deteriorated following the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran and Egypt's recognition of Israel.

Khamenei assured the Sultan of Oman of his readiness to resume relations.

“We welcome the statement of the Sultan of Oman on Egypt's readiness to resume relations with the Islamic Republic and we have no problem in this regard,”he said, as quoted by his official website.

Bin Tariq's visit to Tehran comes weeks after Saudi Arabia and Iran signed a China-sponsored agreement in March to resume diplomatic relations between them.

Tehran has recently strengthened its communication with Gulf capitals, with which relations have cooled in recent years, such as Abu Dhabi and Kuwait.

Khamenei also called for deepening relations between Muscat and Tehran.

“Increasing cooperation between Oman and Iran is important because the two countries share a very important waterway, the Strait of Hormuz,”he added.

Four documents on cooperation in the fields of economy, investments, cooperation in free zones and the energy sector were signed.

Oman has previously played a mediating role between Tehran and Washington in the run-up to the conclusion of the agreement on Iran's nuclear program in 2015 between Tehran and six major international powers.

The United States unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and reimposed harsh sanctions on Tehran. The parties to the agreement, with the indirect participation of the United States, began talks aimed at reviving it in April 2021, which stalled as of last September.

Muscat has also played roles in prisoner exchanges between the Islamic Republic and Western countries.

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