Iraq News Now

Iranian Foreign Minister

Mohammad Javad Zarif has met with Yusuf bin Alawi, his counterpart from Oman --

a neutral country that in the past has acted as a facilitator of talks between

Tehran and Washington.

The July 27 visit of the Omani official comes as tensions

continue to rise between Tehran and the United States and its allies around the

Strait of Hormuz, a vital commercial waterway in the Arabian Gulf region.

Oman in the past has initiated mediation efforts and has said

it was working “with other parties” to ease tensions between Washington and

Tehran.

"There is a danger that a war breaks out, hurting the

whole world," Alawi said. "Both parties -- the Americans and the

Iranians -- are aware of the danger."

However, neither Iran nor Oman said that any mediation

efforts are under way.

Fears of an armed conflict have risen following a series of

incidents in the region, including attacks on Western oil tankers off the coast

of Oman, a country of 4.6 million people located across the strait from Iran.

No injuries were reported in those attacks, but vessels were

damaged, and the United States and Saudi Arabia blamed Iran and its proxies for

the attacks. Tehran has denied any involvement.

Following those incidents, Iranian commandos seized a

British-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on July 19, two weeks after

British forces captured an Iranian oil tanker near Gibraltar, accusing it of

violating sanctions on Syria.

Britain said it acted near Gibraltar because the Iranian

tanker Grace 1 was busting sanctions by delivering oil to Syria. Iran claimed

it seized the British-flagged tanker after it hit an Iranian fishing boat.

Iranian President Hassan Rohani on July 24 hinted that Tehran

was open to a possible tanker swap with Britain and to indirect talks with the

United States over its nuclear program and U.S.-imposed sanctions against

Tehran.

After meeting the Omani diplomat, Zarif tweeted that the

session dealt with the effects of the U.S.' economic terrorism on Iran;

bilateral relations, regional developments & security in the Arabian Gulf,

the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.