Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is visiting nearby Oman on his first trip to an Arab country since taking office last year.

Iran's state TV said Rouhani, who has vowed to improve Tehran's relations with neighbors, landed in Muscat on Wednesday, March 12. A high-ranking economic delegation is accompanying him on the two-day visit aimed at boosting bilateral relations between the two countries.

Iran and Oman lie on opposite sides of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf that is the route for one fifth of the world's oil.

Saudi Arabia and other Western-allied Gulf Arab nations are wary of Iran's influence. Oman has traditionally had warm relations with Iran and has at times acted as a mediator between Tehran and the West.