World Bulletin / News Desk

Oman and Iran on Tuesday signed an agreement to demarcate their shared maritime borders in the Sea of Oman.

The deal was penned by Omani Interior Minister Hamoud bin Faisal al-Busaidi and visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Oman's official news agency reported.

According to the news agency, the two sides hailed the "spirit of understanding" that pervaded the talks.

Zarif arrived earlier in the day in Muscat for a one-day visit to the Gulf sultanate.

He is expected to meet later with his Omani counterpart, Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah.

Last month, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani sent a message to Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said asking for the latter's help in halting a Saudi-led air offensive against Yemen's Houthi militant group.

Riyadh says its anti-Houthi campaign – now in its fifth week – comes in response to appeals Yemen's embattled president, Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, for military intervention to "save the people [of Yemen] from the Houthi militias."

The Houthi group, for its part, has decried the offensive, describing it as unwarranted "Saudi-American aggression."

Some Gulf States accuse Iran of supporting Yemen's ongoing Houthi insurgency.

Iran enjoys strong energy, diplomatic and political ties with Oman – unlike its relations with other Gulf States, such as Saudi Arabia, which accuses Tehran of seeking to further its influence throughout the Middle East.