Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian traveled to Oman on Tuesday for an important state visit lasting two days. The trip is significant as Muscat is mediating and hosting talks between the US and Iran regarding the latter’s nuclear program. Oman also helped end the conflict between Washington and the Houthis.
Muscat has close ties with Tehran, but it also attempts to position itself as a neutral country in the region. In 2018, it even hosted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. That was a prelude to the Abraham Accords, but Oman has been nonplussed by Israel’s behavior in the last several years and has not done much more outreach to Jerusalem.
Pezeshkian was hosted by Omani Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said and was in Muscat to discuss bilateral cooperation. The countries have conducted joint military drills, and there is much to discuss. Oman has also been a focal point of talks over the years regarding Yemen, and the Iranian president was in Oman as the IDF carried out airstrikes on the Houthis on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, 3,000 miles away in Moscow, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Akbar Ahmadian, spoke about how “new opportunities have arisen for the creation of a new world order.”
Iran wants non-Western countries to join together against America and the West
Iran is increasingly seeking to be part of this new world order in which non-Western countries work together against the US and the West. The Iranian secretary said nations should seize the opportunity to work together. Iran and Russia are already allies, and both countries are weighing deals with the Trump administration.
Iran’s IRNA noted that “Ahmadian made the remarks on Tuesday upon arrival in the Russian capital, Moscow, to attend the 13th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues. He told reporters that the meeting, coupled with the formation of groups like BRICS and organizations like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, shows that efforts have already been launched to create a new global order to replace the current one that advocates for unilateralism.”
In Oman, the Iranian president was welcomed by Deputy Prime Minister Shahab bin Tariq Al Said and Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi.
“Accompanying the president are several senior Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Defense Minister Brig.-Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh, Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare Minister Ahmad Meydari, Industry, Mine, and Trade Minister Mohammad Atabak, and Justice Minister Amin-Hossein Rahimi,” IRNA noted.
Cooperation agreements are expected to be signed. These will focus on infrastructure, maritime affairs, and trade. “Iranian and Omani officials will also discuss regional stability and work toward strengthening peace and confronting Israeli aggression in Gaza,” IRNA added. The Omani sultan visited Iran two years ago, and former Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash last year, also made an official visit to Muscat in the past.
IRNA also noted leading up to the Moscow meeting that “the 13th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues takes place in Moscow on May 27-29, bringing together more than 125 delegations from over 100 countries, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.
“Ahmadian has been invited to the meeting by the secretary of Russia’s Security Council, Sergei Shoigu. On the sidelines of the meeting, the top Iranian security official is scheduled to hold talks with Russian officials, as well as delegates from other participating countries.”