The ruler of Oman Sultan Qaboos, 73, is in Germany where he has undertaken medical tests but is in good health, the royal court said on Monday.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that Qaboos, who has ruled Oman since overthrowing his father in a bloodless coup in 1970, is suffering from colon cancer.

Iran must prove through actions that it is willing to make key policy changes to mend fences with Gulf Arabs, analysts said ahead of a landmark visit by Kuwait's emir.

The weekend visit of Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, whose country currently heads the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Arab summit, is an opportunity for Tehran to turn over a new leaf in Gulf ties, they said.

An Omani court has sentenced a former minister to three years in jail over graft charges, in a first for the Gulf sultanate which has vowed to combat corruption, newspapers reported Monday.

They said ex-commerce minister Mohammed bin Nasser al-Khusaibi was found guilty of bribing another official to award a contract linked to a Muscat airport expansion project to a company in which he was a shareholder.

Hackers on Sunday targeted the website of Oman's official news agency, singling out and mocking Algeria's newly re-elected president Abdelaziz Bouteflika as a handicapped "dictator."

Oman News Agency said its website had been hacked and that "false" reports were posted on the site. 

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani arrived in Muscat Wednesday for a visit dedicated to talks with leaders of the Islamic republic's historic ally in the Gulf on regional tensions and bilateral cooperation.

Rouhani was greeted on arrival at the royal airport in Muscat by Oman's deputy prime minister for the council of ministers, Fahd bin Mahmoud Al-Said, an Agence France Presse correspondent reported.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is expected in Muscat for a two-day visit starting Wednesday during which he will discuss bilateral cooperation and regional tensions with Oman's leader, Tehran's envoy announced.

Tehran enjoys good relations with Muscat but is locked in a decades-long rivalry with Saudi Arabia while other Gulf states are wary of the ambitions of their neighbor across the water.

Fearful of Arab Spring-inspired unrest, Gulf monarchies have stepped up efforts to monitor and control the media, particularly online, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia, which is on the group's "Enemies of the Internet" list and ranks 164 out of 179 on its 2014 World Press Freedom Index, has been particularly aggressive in policing the Internet, including by arresting those who post critical articles or comments, it said.

Democracy activists on Monday urged the Gulf Arab monarchies to undertake wide-ranging political reforms including the establishment of elected parliaments and constitutions and allowing political parties.

"The Gulf people should be allowed to elect their representatives in a democratic way and through a direct ballot," said the liberal Gulf Forum for Civil Societies.

Oman opposes upgrading the Gulf Cooperation Council to a union of six nations, an idea first mooted by regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia, Muscat's foreign minister said on Saturday.

The union issue is on the agenda of the GCC summit to be held on Tuesday in Kuwait.

Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani met Thursday in Muscat with Oman's Sultan Qaboos, as Tehran seeks to mend ties with Gulf states, ONA state news agency said.

Tehran enjoys good relations with Muscat, but is locked in a decades-long rivalry with Saudi Arabia, while some other Gulf countries are wary of the ambitions of their neighbor across the water.