On Wednesday, Al-Arabi al-Jadid quoted Egyptian sources as saying that during Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi's visit to Oman last week, Egyptian and Iranian officials met to discuss ways to improve relations.

According to this report, Oman took advantage of Mr Sisi's presence in Muscat to initiate a meeting between Egyptian and Iranian dignitaries.

Al-Arabi al-Jadid, published in London, added that the Egyptian president had also "promised" the Omani king that Cairo had no desire to participate in regional agreements to deal with Iran or enter into a crisis with Iran.

Egyptian sources said there was "a lot of understanding" between Iranian and Egyptian officials, so direct talks between the parties are likely to take place in the future as well.

It should be noted that other sources say that the above report is for public use, but the truth is exactly the opposite.