Iranian President Hassan Rohani sought on Thursday to mend fences between his country and Gulf states.
Rohani, winding up a two-day visit to Oman, said the Islamic republic offered “a hand of fraternity to all the countries of the region.”
“Relations with one country should not grow at the expense of another. We want to see the countries of the region live in peace, understanding and friendship,” Rohani told a business gathering in Muscat.
Its Arab neighbours have expressed concern about the reliability of Iran’s sole nuclear power plant at Bushehr and the risk of radioactive leaks should it be hit by a major earthquake.
Ties between Gulf countries and Iran have also been strained by Tehran’s backing of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s regime in its battle against rebels.
“Cooperation and rapprochement would benefit the whole region,” said Rohani, adding that his country is “open to investors from the region, especially Omanis.”
In a meeting with university professors, Rohani denounced “terrorism” and called for dialogue to coordinate the fight against it. “All differences can be resolved through dialogue,” he said, pointing out that talks had helped end the deadlock in Iran’s nuclear negotiations with Western countries.
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also made fresh overtures to Gulf countries. “Our message to the other countries of the Arabian Gulf is a message of friendship, fraternity and cooperation,” Zarif said.
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