Tehran has always been the harbinger of the settlement of problems and differences through dialogue, and Irans military might is solely defensive andsupports regional security, Rouhani saidin a meeting with Omans Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said in Muscat on Wednesday.
The Iranian president stressed that the region's security could be guaranteed only through cooperation among regional countries.
Therefore, regional countries need to stand by each other and cooperate for the sake of lasting stability and security in the region, he added.
Describing Iran and Oman as the guardians of the Strait of Hormuz, Rouhaniunderlined the two countries' role in safeguarding the security of the region and the strategic route for international trade.
He also welcomed the expansion of ties between Iran and other countries of the region.
Iran has come to the help of regional countries whenever they were entangled in challenges, including terrorism, and will continue to render assistance to them if they demand it, the Iranian president added.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="555"]
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (L) is officially received by Omans Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said upon arrival in Muscat on February 15, 2017.[/caption]The Iranian president also described Muscat-Tehran relations as friendly and deep-rooted, and welcomed the promotion of ties in different sectors, including economy, transportation, energy andtrade.
Muslim countries urged to help Yemen
Touching on the conflicts in the region, including in Yemen, the Iranian president described the situation in the impoverished Arab state as very grave and called for serious action to address the issue.
"The Muslimcountries of the regionare all duty-bound to take...measures to helpthe oppressed people of Yemen," Rouhani said.
The establishment of a ceasefire, the delivery of humanitarian aid and intra-Yemeni talks are the key to ending the crisis in the country, he added.
Sultan Qaboos, for his part, welcomed the expansion ofties between his country and Iran in the political, economic and cultural sectors.
He praised Irans resolve to hold amicable ties with its neighbors and promote regional cooperation, saying such a policy would servethe region'speaceand security.
The Omani ruler added that the countries of the Persian Gulf region had a "prime responsibility" to restore regional security through"consultations."
Rouhani arrived in Muscat on Wednesday to discuss the promotion of ties with the Persian Gulf Arab country. The Iranian president has now left Muscat for Kuwait City to holdtalks with Kuwaiti officials.
The Iranian president's tour comes less than a month after Iran received a message from the Kuwaiti emir on relations between the Islamic Republic and Persian Gulf Arab states.
The one-day visit by Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid al-Hamad al-Sabah to Iran was the first by a senior official of a Persian Gulf Arab state to the Islamic Republic after relations between Tehran and some of the Arab countriesof the strategic region became tense when Saudi Arabia unilaterally severed its diplomatic ties with Iran.
Iran has already stressed that it is ready to cooperate with regional countries, including Saudi Arabia, on regional problems.
