Muscat – H E Sayyid Badr al Busaidi, Foreign Minister, called for urgent and sustained dialogue on Sunday to address the worsening situation in Palestine, warning against continued violence and the failure of the international community to act decisively.

Speaking at the Tehran Dialogue Forum, H E Sayyid Badr reaffirmed Oman’s strong ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran and expressed gratitude to Iranian Foreign Minister Dr Abbas Araghchi for the invitation to participate.

“The Sultanate of Oman attaches great importance to its distinguished relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said, acknowledging Araghchi’s role in promoting regional and international dialogue with “candour, precision and flexibility”.

H E Sayyid Badr used the platform to focus on what he described as one of the region’s most pressing challenges — the Palestinian issue.

“The violence and genocide that the Palestinian people continue to endure is a global tragedy – one that should never have been allowed to occur,” he said. “It could have been prevented had the opportunities for dialogue been seized.”

He said that since the assassination of Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995, the Palestinians had been left without a credible partner for dialogue, blaming successive Israeli governments for rejecting serious engagement.

He also criticised the international community for failing to exert “meaningful pressure” to initiate a genuine peace process, while pointing out the damaging role played by actors who imposed rigid preconditions for engagement.

“What has given me some hope and optimism in recent months,” H E Sayyid Badr noted, “is the emergence of signs pointing towards a possible shift in approach from Washington.”

Referring to recent developments, he said the United States may be exploring a “more pragmatic and flexible stance” on potential dialogue partners, citing comments from a senior Hamas official who claimed there had been contact with Washington.

“This suggests that even at a time of horrific destruction, there is a renewed appetite for dialogue – one we all recognise as essential, even if Tel Aviv continues to try to avoid it by escalating militarily on multiple fronts,” he said.

He expressed confidence that US President Donald Trump could help bring about peace.

H E Sayyid Badr acknowledged the difficulties of diplomatic engagement but warned against the consequences of avoiding dialogue. “Gaza stands as a terrible lesson in what happens when people lack the courage to speak to one another,” he said.

He concluded by reaffirming Oman’s commitment to diplomacy. “We remain firmly committed to the difficult path of dialogue – including with those we may deeply disagree with,” he said, expressing hope that the Tehran forum would help strengthen international resolve for peaceful solutions.