Iran’s Zarif urges Oman cooperation on Yemen

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has called for closer cooperation between Iran and Oman to prevent the escalation of the ongoing crisis in Yemen, saying that all countries of the region have a responsibility to restore peace and stability to the Arab country.

In a meeting with Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi in Muscat on Wednesday, Zarif welcomed Oman’s role in settling regional issues and declared Tehran’s readiness to engage in closer cooperation with Muscat over the crisis in Yemen.

In the meeting, Zarif voiced Iran’s deep concern about the humanitarian situation in Yemen and highlighted the necessity of taking actions to prevent the escalation of the conflict and the need for sending assistance to those injured and displaced.

The Iranian top diplomat also called for the establishment of dialogue between warring sides in Yemen, adding that all countries have a responsibility to help restore peace and stability to the country.

Zarif also appreciated Oman’s efforts in paving the ground for successful talks between Iran and the P5+1 group of powers – the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany – on Tehran’s nuclear program, saying, “Our success in this process is also your success and the success of our other allies in the region.”

The Omani foreign minister, for his part, described as major achievement the recent understanding reached between Iran and world powers in the Swiss city of Laussane, saying that it will have “positive implications in the region and pave the ground for the use of peaceful nuclear technology by other countries.”

On the issue of Yemen, Alawi reiterated that dialogue would be the only solution to the existing problems in the Arabian Peninsula state, expressing hope that multilateral efforts aimed at launching regulated and purposeful negotiations would succeed in restoring stability to the country.