Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met and held talks with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York on Wednesday. During the meeting, the two sides held a positive and fruitful discussion about issues of mutual interest between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Egypt. The two sides emphasized that considering the historical records and cultural commonalities of Iran and Egypt, it is necessary to pave the path and take steps to secure common interests through the continuation of dialogue between the authorities of the two countries.
Although two years ago, the Iranian foreign minister held a short conversation with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on the sidelines of a regional meeting on supporting Iraq, or last year, the Head of Iran’s Department of Environment (DOE) Ali Salajegheh had a short conversation withSameh Shoukry on the sidelines of a climate change meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh, but the meeting between the top Iranian diplomat and the Egyptian delegation in New York has significant importance. That is because the meeting took place after the meetings between the officials of Tehran and Cairo, which were recently held with the mediation of Baghdad, and this indicates the progress of the negotiation process between the two sides.
Furthermore, the meeting took place following the resumption of Tehran-Riyadh relations and the improvement of Iran’s relations with the countries of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council, which indicates the green light of the PGCC countries to Cairo and the continuation of the de-escalation situation in the region after a decade of conflict, widespread tension and continuous crisis.
In fact, the meeting of the foreign ministers of Iran and Egypt in New York and the emphasis of the parties on the continuation of the dialogues can be an accelerating factor in the process of normalizing the relations between Tehran and Cairo and improving the level of diplomatic relations between the two countries in the near future.
Why does the resumption of Tehran-Cairo relations matter?
According to historical texts and documents, Iran and Egypt have one of the oldest bilateral relations at the global diplomatic level. Iran and Egypt are two important countries in the West Asian region for many reasons. First, the two countries have a high population weight and have been built based on ancient civilization and strong cultural elements. Second, Iran and Egypt are influential actors in the region that control two important sea crossings, namely the Strait of Hormuz and the Suez Canal. Third, the two countries have a fundamental position and an influential role in the power balance equation and in determining the type of regional alliances and coalitions.
For these reasons, since the 13th Iranian government took office, in line with the neighborhood policy, numerous efforts have been made to normalize the relations between Tehran and Cairo. There are also signs that the two countries are willing to resume relations. The desire of Tehran and Cairo to resume and improve the level of diplomatic relations is due to several reasons that can be in line with the interests of the two important regional actors.
First, the continent of Africa has always been important for the Islamic Republic of Iran, and considering the power and influence of Egypt in this region, improving the level of relations between Tehran and Cairo can lead to the expansion of Iran’s cooperation with other African countries. Second, Egypt is the heart of the Arab world, so any actor in the Middle East that can form an alliance with Egypt will gain significant influence and role in the region. Therefore, by resuming relations, Tehran can redraw the shape of regional alliances or at least prevent Cairo from joining regional alliances against Iran. Third, through bilateral economic cooperation and investment in Egypt, Tehran can reach economic achievements and reduce international economic pressures against itself.
Possibility of Tel Aviv’s disruption in process of Iran-Egypt negotiations
In general, the normalization of relations between Tehran and Cairo will bring many achievements for Iran and Egypt and will promote their regional status and role. On the other hand, the cooperation between Iran and Egypt, which has an influencing role in the balance of power equation and determining the type of regional alliances and coalitions, is detrimental to Tel Aviv’s security and strategic interests; Because the cooperation and the increased power of Iran and Egypt will lead to further isolation of the Zionist regime.
The geopolitical situation of Egypt and the closeness of this country to the Gaza Strip has also doubled the fear of the Zionists in this regard. The Zionists fear that Iran, by investing around the Rafah border crossing, can contribute to the development of this area. If the Palestinian groups receive aid from Egypt, they can boost their power even more and this issue will have a heavy price for the Zionists.
Therefore, for the Zionists, Egypt’s turn towards Iran is like losing a strategic ally in the Arab world. With the conditions that have arisen in the relations between Egypt and Iran, Tel Aviv’s officials consider this situation as a threat to their security. In other words, Egypt’s distancing from the circle of the Israeli regime’s allies and turning towards the Zionists’ regional enemies has caused Tel Aviv to feel threatened and worried about this change. In any case, if Egypt resumes its relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran, the security of the Zionist regime could be threatened since the occupied territories are also witnessing chaos.
For this reason, it can be said that the meeting between the foreign ministries of Egypt and Iran in New York, which shows the desire and efforts of the two countries to improve the level of diplomatic relations, will cause the Tel Aviv authorities to worry, and they may try to contact with Egyptian authorities to prevent the developing of diplomatic relations between Tehran and Cairo.
Improving the level of diplomatic relations between Tehran and Cairo can strengthen the process of trust-building between Iran and the Arab countries more and more, cause the expansion of the de-tension policy in the region, and contribute to the resolution of regional crises, including in Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen.
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