Iran’s President, Ebrahim Raisi, has announced that Iran’s foreign policy is centered around fostering interaction and collaboration with its neighboring, Islamic, and allied countries.
He specifically noted Egypt’s expressed interest in resuming relations with Iran, a matter he has discussed with Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, who also expressed a positive response.
In recent talks, Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq informed Iran about Egypt’s intent to restore diplomatic ties. This was also well-received by Iran, as Raisi reiterated Iran’s longstanding commitment to nurturing relations with neighboring and Islamic countries, given their pursuit of cordial ties.
These developments occur shortly after Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, confirmed his country’s openness towards Egypt’s readiness to rekindle its relationship with Tehran.
Sultan Haitham bin Tariq’s two-day visit to Egypt, wherein he conversed with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi about Cairo’s relations with Tehran.
Oman’s close ties with Iran have frequently facilitated its role as a mediator in regional disputes and conflicts that involve Iran and other Arab or Western governments.
In a recent “Sputnik” interview, Rakha Hassan, former assistant to Egypt’s Foreign Minister, claimed that the rapprochement efforts between the two countries have been ongoing for the past two decades, but the pace has recently accelerated due to Iran’s compliance with most of Egypt’s requests.
Hassan pointed out that continuous Iranian investments have been seen in Egypt since the Shah’s era. He further highlighted that Egypt began issuing visas to Iranians for religious tourism purposes last February.
Importantly, he indicated that the US has not opposed the Egyptian-Iranian rapprochement, nor did it object to the recent Saudi-Iranian warming of relations.
Hassan asserted that Oman isn’t the sole mediator working to improve Iran-Egypt ties; Iraq has also been playing a part.
Iran has expressed its desire for stronger ties with Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous nation. Meanwhile, the Egyptian government has remained quiet on the matter. Despite this, regional media reports speculate a potential improvement in the relations in the upcoming weeks.
