MNA – Iran and Oman are set to add a new direct shipping route between their ports in the Persian Gulf in a move to help boost economic interactions between the two countries, Iran's Ambassador to Muscat said.

Addressing a gathering of 120 Iranian and Omani businesspersons in Muscat on Wednesday, Mohammad Reza Nouri Shahroudi said the new line will go on stream within the next two weeks. He did not mention the name of ports that will be linked via the new line.

Pointing to the significant increase in the number of direct flights between the two neighbors from 20 to 48 per week, the Iranian envoy said the expansion of marine transportation between the two countries also follows the similar plan to boost Tehran-Muscat mutual economic interactions.

According to Nouri Shahroudi, Iran’s trade with Oman reached $700 million during the 11 months of the past Iranian year (March 21, 2018-Feb. 22), of which some $250 million accounted for Iran’s imports from the Arab country.

This will be the fifth direct shipping line between the two countries, after Jask-Suwaiq, Bandar Abbas-Sohar, Khorramshahr-Sohar and Bandar Abbas-Al Suwaiq routes.

The fourth direct marine route was established in December 2018, between Iran’s Jask Port and Oman’s Al Suwaiq Port to transport the wholesale Iranian commodities to Oman using containers.

Another important direct shipping line between Oman’s Sohar Port and Iran’s Bandar Abbas Port on the shores of the Strait of Hormuz also resumed activity in December last year, after the commercial vessels along this marine route had halted operations from early November after the new round of US sanctions against Iran came into effect.

If the same trend were to continue, he said, Tehran and Muscat will experience a huge increase in bilateral trade in the future.