ISTANBUL

Ali Larijani, Iran’s top security official, arrived in the Omani capital Muscat on Tuesday, for an official visit that comes just days after the resumption of nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington under the Omani mediation, Iran's state news agency IRNA reported.

Sultan bin Muhammad al-Numani, the minister of Oman's Royal Office, welcomed Larijani on his arrival, the report said.

During the visit, Larijani is also scheduled to meet and hold talks with Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al Said, and Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, the IRNA had said.

Larijani is heading a high-level delegation, and the talks during his visit are expected to focus on recent regional and global developments and ways to enhance bilateral cooperation between Iran and Oman.

The visit comes as Iran and the US prepare for the next round of nuclear negotiations, which resumed in Muscat on Friday after nearly eight months of suspension.

The indirect negotiations between Tehran and Washington were halted following a 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June last year, during which the US targeted three key Iranian nuclear sites.

Sources said the Iranian official is expected to discuss the contours of the next round of talks with the Omani mediators.