Iran backs restoring diplomatic relations with Egypt

Iran’s supreme leader has given his approval to the restoration of full diplomatic relations with Egypt, potentially ending decades of tension between the countries.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he would “welcome” the restoration of ties with Egypt as he met Oman’s Sultan Haitham, whose country is thought to be mediating between Cairo and Tehran.

Sultan Haitham visited Egypt this month and met President Abdel Fattah El Sisi for talks that included the normalisation of relations between Egypt and Iran, officials said.

“We welcome this issue and have no problem in this regard,” Mr Khamenei said on the restoration of ties, Iranian state television reported yesterday.

Iran’s supreme leader has the final say on major foreign policy decisions, which adds weight to his comment on relations with Egypt.

Oman has long served as an interlocutor in regional conflicts between Arab and western nations and has close relations with Iran.

The Egyptian officials said Cairo and Tehran were expected to exchange ambassadors before the end of the year, and that Mr El Sisi and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi were to meet later this year.

Mid-level diplomats and intelligence officials from Iran and Egypt held talks behind closed doors in Baghdad in March and last month to discuss the normalisation of relations.

More senior officials from the two nations are expected to meet again next month in the Iraqi capital, officials have said.

Relations between Egypt and Iran began to sour in the aftermath of the 1979 revolution in Iran, when Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat welcomed the deposed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to Egypt and a year later allowed his burial in Cairo.

More recently, relations have been tense over what Cairo views as Iran’s meddling in the internal affairs of nations including Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.

Syria was readmitted to the Arab League this month, with President Bashar Al Assad attending the alliance’s summit in Jeddah for the first time in 12 years.