Munich: H E Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs, has said that Oman is working to reduce tensions in the Gulf region and ruled out any military confrontation. 

In a dialogue session to discuss tensions in the region on the sidelines of Munich Security Conference on Sunday, Alawi said, “We keep contacts with the US and Iran as part of our relations with the two countries. We feel that it is possible for the two to engage in a dialogue. We are working to ease tensions in the region. Some are feeling anxious about the escalation of tensions. We do not expect any military confrontation in the region now. 

He said that Iran is a great country and a neighbour, and if ‘we regulate our interests, that would give us a feeling of peace’. Alawi pointed out that the massive presence of military vessels in the Strait of Hormuz ‘might lead to any mistake and the escalation of tensions’.  

He called upon friends to  consider the present risks to the security of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.