Press TV - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the death of Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said was a "loss for the region" and expressed hope that relations between Tehran and Muscat will further increase under his successor.

In an Arabic post on his official Twitter account on Saturday, the top Iranian diplomat also offered his congratulations to Oman's new ruler Haitham bin Tariq Al Said.

"We offer our dear neighbor Oman our condolences... (and) we congratulate it on naming His Majesty Haitham bin Tariq as sultan, hoping our relations grow as they have before and that the future draws inspiration from the past," Zarif tweeted.

Earlier in the day, Haitham, who has been served as Oman's Minister of Heritage and Culture, was sworn in as new ruler of the Arab country after the death of his cousin Sultan Qaboos.

"Haitham bin Tariq was sworn in as the new sultan of the country... after a meeting of the family which decided to appoint the one who was chosen by the sultan," the Omani government said in a tweet on Saturday.

In his first address to the nation, Haitham vowed to uphold the Persian Gulf country's foreign policy, which he said was built on "peaceful coexistence" and friendly ties with all nations.

"We will continue to follow in the same course the late Sultan adopted � embracing foreign policies based on peaceful coexistence among peoples and countries without any interference in the domestic affairs of other states," he said in a televised speech.

"We will continue as always � contributing and calling for peaceful and amicable solutions for all disputes," he added.