Omani FM to visit Iran for talks on regional issues

Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi is scheduled to visit Iran on Tuesday for consultations on bilateral and regional issues, Iran's Foreign Ministry announced Monday.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said in a statement Monday that the foreign ministers of both countries will meet during the visit.

The visit aims to sustain ongoing political dialogue and help strengthen regional peace and security between the two coastal states of the Strait of Hormuz, Baghaei added.

During a phone call on Friday, the two foreign ministers discussed efforts to restore freedom of navigation through the strait, stressing the need to continue talks toward practical understandings that would facilitate the resumption and smooth flow of navigation while supporting regional security and stability.

Iran tightened its grip on the strait on Feb. 28, barring passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States following their joint strikes on Iranian territory.

In June, Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding on ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon. The two sides were scheduled to hold negotiations within a 60-day period to reach a final agreement, but recent escalation in the region has left the talks' fate uncertain.

In July, the U.S. military launched multiple waves of strikes on Iranian targets, saying they were in response to Iranian attacks on vessels in the strait and aimed at "degrading Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping". Iran responded with missile and drone strikes on U.S. military bases and facilities in the region.

Iran and Oman have been negotiating for a few weeks to reach an agreement on the designation of a new route in the strait for safe maritime traffic.

Omani FM to visit Iran for talks on regional issues

Tokyo stocks ended mixed Monday, as the broader market was lifted by gains on Wall Street late last week, along with impact from the possible measures taken by the Bank of Japan.

The benchmark Nikkei stock index, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average, ended down 488.27 points, or 0.74 percent, from Friday at 65,528.09.

The broader Topix index, meanwhile, finished 6.00 points, or 0.15 percent, higher at 4,073.29.

The Topix index was supported by gains on Wall Street late last week following a stronger-than-expected S and P Global Purchasing Managers' Index for August, which eased concerns over an economic slowdown.

Meanwhile, the benchmark Nikkei index mostly traded in negative territory, as investors locked in gains on some technology shares, said analysts.

Timothy Pope, a market analyst for the China Global Television Network (CGTN), recapped the day.

"In Tokyo today the Nikkei 225 was down a little bit less than 0.7 percent lower. Its AI heavyweights were slipping again in the leadup to Nvidia earnings we are going to see later in the week. Quite a few of the big names on the Nikkei are exposed to Nvidia. Advantest being one of them, (was) down 3.9 percent today, and tech investor SoftBank as another, down 5.3 percent," Pope said.

"But aside from the AI results, this week is increasingly a will-they-won't-they story about the Bank of Japan and interest rates. The market consensus seems to be swinging more towards expecting another rate hike in September. The BOJ's inflation reading will come out on Tuesday, that's for underline inflation, just before the market closes. There is also going to be a speech from the BOJ Deputy Governor Ryozo Himino on Thursday that I think the market will be watching pretty closely," he said.

Tokyo stocks end mixed on Wall Street gains, tech losses