Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Cairo recently and met his counterpart; Dr. Badr Abdel Aati. Araghchi met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi before his meeting with Abdel Aati.
The two ministers held a press conference in which they announced the two sides' desire to coordinate on various issues and resume direct flights between Tehran and Cairo, as well as their aspiration to strengthen their relations. This could lead to the resumption of diplomatic relations. These were severed in 1980 due to the then- Egyptian president's reception of the deposed Shah of Iran and his burial in Cairo.
Some interpreted the Iranian minister's invitation as a form of revenge for US President Donald Trump's visit to three Gulf States and his neglect of Egypt during this visit, as well as his obtaining agreements, promises, and memoranda of understanding estimated at trillions of dollars.
This interpretation is illogical since turning to Iran doesn’t have to be for economic reasons. If the rapprochement were between China and Egypt, it would be right to say that Egypt is turning to China, the strongest economic competitor to the US and the second-largest economy in the world.
Iran is economically bankrupt and suffers from severe economic sanctions and stifling international isolation. Therefore, it is illogical to say that Egypt has turned to Iran for economic reasons.
This is not Minister Araghchi's first visit. He visited Cairo in October of last year and ate koshary (a very popular Egyptian meal) there. This time, he ate at Naguib Mahfouz Restaurant and prayed at Al-Hussein Mosque.
Egypt moved to revive relations with Iran in revenge for the Gulf States that gave Trump trillions of dollars but nothing to Egypt, and because Trump's visit did not include Cairo.
This claim is far from the truth. The Gulf States maintain good relations with Iran and Egypt calls Iran day and night for cooperation based on mutual interests and good neighbourliness.
How can Egypt take revenge on the Gulf by establishing relations with Iran when the Gulf states preceded it in their relationship with Tehran? Furthermore, the Gulf states have never failed in their duties toward Egypt. As President El-Sisi attests, Egypt is neither ungrateful nor abandoning its commitments towards the Gulf states.
Some countries such as Syria and Iraq have issued warnings to Egypt, threatening it if there is rapprochement with Iran, arguing that this will lead to the spread of Shi ism in Sunni-majority Egypt. They also argue that this rapprochement will transform religious sites in Egypt into "shrines" similar to those Iran has established in Syria and Iraq. Furthermore, this rapprochement could incite sectarian strife in Egypt and will work diligently to sabotage religious harmony, just as it has destroyed and devastated Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen.
These people have overlooked the fact that Egypt has monitored, and continues to monitor, Iranian policy in the region and is aware of its history of interference in the Arab region. Is it reasonable for Egypt to ignore the fact that Iranian domestic rhetoric continues to mobilise supporters to export the revolution? Egypt also has analysis and information centres that monitor Iran's subversive activities in the region. Therefore, Egypt will not be an easy target for Iranian schemes.
This group also adds that Iran will not benefit Egypt or help it overcome its economic difficulties, as Iran itself suffers from far more severe economic difficulties than Egypt. However, relations between the two countries are likely be based on an exchange of educational, cultural, industrial, and technological expertise, rather than on commercial exchange.
Egypt and Iran are two major countries in the region, and the restoration of relations between them is expected to enhance regional stability.
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