Oman’s foreign minister held talks with his counterpart in Tehran on Monday as Muscat takes a bigger role in regional negotiations.

The visit of Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi was framed as an expression of sympathy following the helicopter crash that killed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and several members of his delegation last week but Muscat has been hosting unofficial US-Iran talks in a bid to calm escalating conflict in the Middle East.

Following the sudden death of the president, the role of countries such as Oman amid the leadership vacuum become ever more valuable for Tehran.

Earlier this month, Axios revealed that Biden administration officials engaged in indirect negotiations with Iranian representatives in Oman to address regional concerns including the Iran-backed Houthis’ Red Sea blockade and Iran’s support for Hamas and Hezbollah amid the war in Gaza. 

According to two sources cited by Axios, Brett McGurk, President Joe Biden’s chief Middle East adviser, along with Abram Paley, the acting US envoy for Iran, met with unnamed Iranian envoys to not only talk about regional tensions but also to delve into issues concerning Iran's advancing nuclear program.