TEHRAN -- Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar stated on Monday that Iran has always attempted to promote peace and stability in the region.

In a meeting with Omani ruler Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said in Muscat, Mohammad-Najjar called Oman an old friend of Iran which has always been seeking to develop ties with Tehran.
The minister also praised Sultan Qaboos for his effective measures in maintaining stability and friendship in the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and the Strait of Hormoz including the sending of the Zinat Al-Bihar ship to Iran’s southern waters with a message of peace and friendship.
The interior minister said Iran believes that security in the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and the Strait of Hormoz benefits all regional and trans-regional countries and Iran has always made efforts to strengthen unity and a calm atmosphere in the region.
He also appreciated Sultan Qaboos for ordering a release of 101 Iranians who were imprisoned in Oman.
For his part, Sultan Qaboos said security cooperation between Iran and Oman in the Strait of Hormoz will help promote peace and stability in the region.
He called for expansion of bilateral ties, especially in economic areas and said Iran can serve as a route for transition of goods from Oman to Central Asia.
Iran and Oman stand beside each other like two brothers and nothing can make a split between them, the sultan noted