ISTANBUL 

Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said sent a cable of congratulations on Monday to Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei over his selection as Iran’s new supreme leader.

The sultan expressed his best wishes for Khamenei in assuming his responsibilities, the state news agency ONA reported.

Sultan Haitham became the first Arab leader to congratulate the new Iranian supreme leader, who was chosen as successor of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike last week.

More than 1,200 people have been killed and over 10,000 others injured in US and Israeli attacks on Iran since Feb. 28, according to Iranian authorities.

Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries that are home to US military assets.