Zarif: Oman Had Previously Informed Iran About Netanyahu's Visit

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, stated that the Sultanate of Oman had informed Tehran about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Muscat, and Iran had previously communicated its opposition to this trip to Oman. This is the first time in three months since Netanyahu's public visit to Oman that a senior official of the Islamic Republic of Iran confirms that the country was aware of this historic development in Oman-Israel relations. Zarif made these remarks in an interview with the newspaper Hamshahri on Tuesday, January 1. The chief diplomat of the Islamic Republic of Iran added that Iran's response to Oman emphasized that Netanyahu's visit to Muscat 'is not in the interest of Oman.' Following Netanyahu's visit, some Israeli and international reports suggested that the Israeli Prime Minister might have used this meeting as a channel to send warnings or messages to Iran. Zarif confirmed in the interview that after Netanyahu's visit, Oman kept Iran informed about the issues, but Oman’s message was that the arrival of the Israeli Prime Minister in Muscat 'was not against Iran's interests' and also emphasized that Oman and Iran do not necessarily have to agree on all issues. Oman is one of the few Arab countries and Gulf monarchies that has maintained calm and tension-free relations with Tehran during the 40 years of the Islamic Republic's existence, and Sultan Qaboos, the long-time ruler of Oman, played a crucial role in advancing Iran's nuclear negotiations and resolving some issues between Iran and the United States. After Netanyahu's visit to Muscat, Iran expressed its dissatisfaction; Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, a special assistant to the Iranian Parliament Speaker, stated that this was 'far from the wisdom known in Sultan Qaboos.' Bahram Qasemi, the spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry, also said that 'Islamic countries in the region should not give Israel the space to create new problems under pressure from the White House.' Despite Iran's dissatisfaction, relations between Israel and Gulf monarchies and several other Arab countries, some of which, like Sudan, were former friends of the Islamic Republic, have recently improved, and the possibility of Netanyahu's imminent visit to Bahrain has also been raised. This week, the Israeli Prime Minister stated in an interview with Globo TV in Brazil that Arab countries consider Israel a 'strong and stable ally in the fight against Iran' and, in a veiled reference to his relations with Saudi Arabia, noted that 'a revolution has occurred in Israel's relations with Arab countries.' Recent regional developments indicate that Israel is advancing its demands in the Middle East with greater freedom than before, especially relying on strong U.S. support, and is repeatedly attacking Iranian targets in Syria. However, Mohammad Javad Zarif reiterated in the interview that Iran is not seeking to destroy Israel. According to the Jerusalem Post, while Zarif claimed in this interview that Israelis and Westerners present a 'caricature' of Iran's policy, he himself sarcastically tweeted the same day in reaction to the official withdrawal of the U.S. and Israel from UNESCO, suggesting that 'the Trump administration and its puppet regime are about to leave planet Earth altogether.' In the conversation with Hamshahri, Zarif did not rule out the possibility that Donald Trump could win the next U.S. elections, and thus Iran might continue to face him as President for another six years. However, Zarif claimed that Americans must make a 'serious change in behavior' to negotiate. This comes as the U.S., after withdrawing from the JCPOA, has set 12 conditions for Iran and demands strict adherence to these conditions by the Iranian government. The Islamic Republic has acted contrary to some of the 12 conditions set by the U.S., such as not supporting armed Palestinian groups, Hezbollah, and the Taliban, and has pursued contacts with these groups more openly than before; recent visits by delegations from Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Taliban to Tehran are signs of this increased interaction.