Muscat: Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said sent a cable of congratulations to Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on his selection as Iran's new supreme leader. Sultan Haitham extended his best wishes to Khamenei, marking the first Arab leader to reach out to the newly appointed Iranian figurehead. Khamenei was chosen as the successor following the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike.

According to Anadolu Agency, this transition in leadership comes amid escalating tensions in the region. Over 1,200 people have lost their lives, and more than 10,000 have been injured in US and Israeli attacks on Iran since February 28, as reported by Iranian authorities. In response, Tehran has launched drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries that host US military assets.