Oman, Kuwait Firm on Boosting Ties With Iran

After a visit by President Hassan Rouhani to Oman and Kuwait, Iran said it shares the determination of the two Persian Gulf Arab countries to boost friendly ties.

“The visits, which took place at a time when the region is facing special and sensitive circumstances, indicate the countries’ common will to expand friendly ties across the strategic waters of the Persian Gulf,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said on Thursday, Press TV reported. 

Rouhani visited the countries on Wednesday following separate invitations by Oman’s Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said and Kuwait’s Emir Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah.

The visits came after Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid al-Hamad al-Sabah traveled to Tehran on January 25, bearing a letter from the Kuwaiti emir on behalf of the Persian Gulf littoral states seeking to fix ties with Tehran, which began to deteriorate last year amid the confrontational approach taken by the new Saudi rulers against Tehran.

Qasemi said the Omani sultan and the Kuwait emir have always sought enhanced relations with Iran. The two leaders have discussed the formation of a collective mechanism, including Iran, to hold dialogue on regional challenges.