The Sultanate of Oman has expressed its condemnation and denunciation of the hostile act endured by the State of Kuwait. Oman also voiced its solidarity with Kuwait and its support for all measures taken by Kuwait to preserve its security and stability.
In a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry today, the Sultanate of Oman affirmed its rejection of all provocative and military acts that threaten the security and sovereignty of nations. Oman called for intensified efforts to end the state of war and tension in the region, adherence to the path of negotiation and diplomacy to spare the region and its peoples the fallout from an ever-widening confrontation.
Meanwhile, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidy, Foreign Minister, and Tom Berendsen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, discussed during a telephone call on Monday and exchanged views on regional developments and ongoing efforts to restore freedom of maritime navigation, as well as the smooth flow of supply chains and trade. They affirmed the importance of intensifying diplomatic endeavours to de-escalate tensions and achieve sustainable peace among all parties.
The United States and Iran traded strikes on Monday as negotiations between the two sides stalled and Tehran again insisted any peace deal must also cover Israel's escalating offensive into Lebanon. Weeks of indirect talks marked by stark threats and several waves of air strikes have so far failed to agree on an end to the war or the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the key shipping channel for Gulf oil and gas.
Iran said it was suspending all exchanges with the United States via mediators, Iranian news agency Tasnim reported, as the two sides remained apart on a deal to end the Middle East war. "Given the continuing crimes of the Zionist regime (Israel) in Lebanon and considering that Lebanon was one of the preconditions for the ceasefire and that this ceasefire has now been violated on all fronts, including Lebanon, the Iranian negotiating team is suspending dialogues and exchange of texts through mediators," Tasnim reported.
The latest exchange of fire coincided with Israel expanding its offensive into Lebanon, with Prime Minister Netanyahu vowing to push deeper into the country and instructing the military to strike targets in a southern district of Beirut. The United States has backed its ally's operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah, while still trying to come to an agreement with Iran to end the war it launched in late February with strikes on Tehran, reopen Hormuz and impose controls on Iran's nuclear programme.
But Iran again said on Monday it had not yet reopened any nuclear negotiations and insisted that Israel must halt its offensive in Lebanon before any wider deal to end the war can be agreed.
The US naval blockade on Iran's ports and the escalation in Lebanon were "clear evidence of US non-compliance with the ceasefire", Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf posted on X. — Agencies
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