He made the remarks in a meeting with Iranian businessmen and economic activists in Ardabil province, with the participation of the Iranian Head of Iran-Oman joint economic commission Mohsen Zarrabi.

The Omani ambassador said, “it is vital for delegations from both countries to attend Iran-Oman joint economic summit to prepare the ground for the development of mutual economic relations.”

Zarrabi, for his part, announced that Iran’s exports to Oman stood at $146 million in 2016-2017 but the figure increased up to $728 million in 2017-2018.

According to him, Iran-Oman trade volume was $1.161 million in 2017-2018 (Iranian calendar year 1397, ended on March 20, 2018).

In late October, Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Minister Ali Asqar Mounesan announced that “Talks with Oman are underway to implement visa-free program for Iranian tourists visiting the country.”

On September 20, the cabinet of ministers approved to maintain a visa waiver program for Omani nationals which had been ratified last September for a one-year period.

Iran–Oman relations are bilateral relations between Oman and Iran. The two countries currently share diplomatic and economic ties dating back to the Pahlavi period. Oman considers Iran not to be a threat perceived by the other Arab states of the Persian Gulf.^{[citation needed]} Both countries are members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Group of 77. Iran has an embassy in Muscat whilst Oman has an embassy in Tehran.