Photo: Correspondent
Omani Sultan Haitam bin Tariq al-Said will visit Moscow on Monday, less than a week after the start of a new round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, which are being mediated by Muscat. Reuters reports this with reference to official sources in Oman and the Kremlin.
According to the Kremlin, on Tuesday, 22 April, the Sultan will hold official talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The discussion will focus on regional and global issues, as well as strengthening trade and economic cooperation between Russia and Oman. Other details of the programme have not yet been disclosed.
The visit coincides with the intensification of efforts to reach a nuclear deal between Washington and Tehran. On Saturday, 19 April, new indirect talks between the United States and Iran began in Rome with the participation of Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. An Omani mediator acts as a channel of communication between the delegations.
Before the Rome round, Araqchi visited Moscow, where he met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Following the talks, Lavrov said that Russia was “ready to help, mediate and play any role that would be beneficial to Iran and the United States”.
Moscow has historically played a prominent role in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme, in particular as a signatory to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and a permanent member of the UN Security Council. In 2018, Donald Trump’s administration withdrew from the deal, accusing Iran of non-compliance, and resumed harsh sanctions pressure. After Trump returned to the White House in 2025, the United States announced a new phase of “maximum pressure” on Iran.
The Omani leader is expected to try to expand his mediation role, balancing between regional players and global centres of influence. The visit to Moscow is an important step in the foreign policy strategy of Muscat, which traditionally avoids alliances and instead seeks neutral mediation in conflict areas of the Middle East.
Although the Kremlin has avoided being specific about the agenda, the very fact of the meeting indicates an active diplomatic game around Iran’s nuclear programme and broader regional stability at a time when the threat of military escalation in the region is back on the agenda of Washington and Tel Aviv.
