The Omani foreign minister said the nuclear talks between Iran, the US, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany will be fruitful.
Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah made the remarks in an interview with CNN aired on Tuesday, Times of Oman reported.
Asked whether an agreement would be signed by the March deadline for a general understanding, he said, "I am optimistic that they are going to strike a deal, in March or July (the deadline for a final accord), because this gives benefit to everyone.
"You must understand that if they don't reach a deal what is the alternative? And this deal is the only deal of its kind. This is the strong wall between stability and crisis.
"They are going straight forward to strike a deal, we are not taking sides at all, we are trying to facilitate both sides."
Asked why Oman was working so hard to mediate, he said, "We want to see this region in peace, we have been in wars for many times, for the last three-four decades, war after war, war after war. This has to disappear."
