Top Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani was in Oman, one of the very few allies of the Islamic Republic in the Arab world and which has a history of pushing for rapprochement between Tehran and Washington.  

Bagheri Kani sat down in Muscat with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hammad bin Hamoud al-Busaidi. Noting "historical mutual trust" between their two countries, the Iranian diplomat said Tehran and Muscat were "focused on deepening their bilateral cooperation" to improve "regional stability."  

Ahead of the visit, Iran's media were already speculating about Omani mediation between Iran and the United States, whose indirect talks over the revival of the nuclear deal remain in a state of impasse. In 2013, it was Omani mediation that broke the ice between the archenemies, a step that opened up multilateral negotiations that culminated in the 2015 accord also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).  

Expanding ties with regional nations has been a core pursuit in the foreign policy agenda of Iran's hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi, within a larger strategy to "neutralize" US sanctions. Yet Raisi has also supported a resurrection of the JCPOA should it fully provide Iran with the promised economic dividends.