DUBAI, Feb 9 (Reuters) – Ali Larijani, adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and secretary of the National Security Council, will visit Oman on Tuesday, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, following indirect talks between the United States and Iran in the country.
Last week, U.S. and Iranian diplomats mediated through Oman in the Gulf Arab state, trying to restore diplomacy amid a U.S. naval buildup near Iran and Tehran’s vow to respond harshly if attacked.
“During this visit, (Larijani) will meet with senior officials of the Sultanate of Oman to discuss the latest regional and international developments as well as bilateral cooperation at all levels,” Tasnim said.
The date and location of the next round of talks have not yet been announced.
Iran and the United States held five rounds of talks last year on curbing Tehran’s nuclear program, but the talks collapsed mainly due to disputes over uranium enrichment in Iran. In June, the United States struck Iran’s nuclear facilities at the end of a 12-day bombing campaign against Israel.
Tehran has since said it has stopped enrichment activities, which the United States considers a possible way to build a nuclear bomb. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.
The United States wants to include Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal in the negotiations, but Tehran has ruled out that possibility.
Larijani has held a variety of influential senior positions under Khamenei over the past few decades, including speaker of parliament and past chief negotiator with world powers over Iran’s nuclear activities.
In a televised statement aired on Monday, Khamenei called on Iranians to take part in the upcoming anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, which will be celebrated on Wednesday for its 47th anniversary.
“The presence of the people in the march and their loyalty to the Islamic Republic will cause enemies to stop coveting Iran,” Khamenei said.
(Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Alex Richardson, Toby Chopra and Mark Heinrich)
