Iran and Oman agree to boost ties amid Gulf crisis

Iran and Oman have agreed to work on boosting bilateral ties as a diplomatic crisis persists in the Gulf.“Iran and Oman have for years had fraternal relations and the best must be made of these good relations to reinforce them,” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said as he met Oman’s foreign minister late on Wednesday.The Iranian government’s website reported Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi as replying: “Omani leaders believe our ties should be developed.”The meeting comes as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed ties with Qatar, accusing it of backing terrorism and being too close to Riyadh’s rival Tehran.Rouhani slammed the sanctions imposed by the Riyadh-led group on Doha.  “Threatening, pressuring and imposing a blockade against neighbours, including Qatar, is an erroneous method and everyone must try to reduce the tensions in the region,” he said.He also criticised “the policies of certain countries in the region against Syria, Yemen and Bahrain”, in what appeared to be a reference to Saudi Arabia.Iran increased its food exports to Qatar after its Gulf neighbours cut transport links to the emirate.Oman, which is a member of the Gulf Co-operation Council, has maintained ties with Qatar and took part this week in a string of Kuwaiti and US-led talks towards resolving the crisis.