 | |
 Egypt |  Iran |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| Embassy of Egypt, Tehran | Embassy of Iran, Cairo |
Following theEgyptian Revolution of 2011,Iran appointed its first ambassador toEgypt in almost 30 years.[1] Despite oft-wavering tensions between the two countries, they share membership in theOIC, theBRICS and theDeveloping 8.
According to a 2013BBC World Service poll, 15% of Egyptians view Iran's influence positively, and 48% express a negative view.[2] In a 2012 poll conducted by the Israel Project where 812 Egyptians were questioned about Iran's nuclear programs, 61% of the 812 individuals expressed support for the Iranian nuclear program.[3] The restoring of diplomatic relations were discussed in December 2023.[4]
Egypt was ruled by theAchaemenid andSassanid Persian Empires during ancient times.
Despite sharing theShia faith,Fatimid Egypt andBuyid Iran had unfriendly relations due to conflicting interests overSyria and Jazira.[5] Both later declined under the pressure of theSeljuk Turks. Following the1258 Sack of Baghdad, theSunni Caliphs found asylum inMamluk Egypt. TheIlkhanate Mongols, based in Iran, fought many wars with the Mamluks even after converting to Islam.[citation needed]
In the 15th century, Mamluk Egypt and Iran under theAq Qoyunlu Padishah continued to clash in Upper Mesopotamia, culminating in theBattle of Urfa after a similar Iranian advance into Egyptian dependencies in the decade before.[6] However, attitudes changed whenOttoman expansion tipped the balance of power in theMiddle East. The Ottomans invaded Egypt once aSafavid-Mamluk alliance seemed imminent.[7]
After the1922 Declaration of Egyptian Independence, Iran's representation to Egypt was upgraded to a delegation, the only eastern country with a presence in Egypt. Egypt was the first Arab country to have a diplomatic mission in Iran afterReza Khan became Shah of Iran.[8] In 1928, both countries signed a friendship treaty, followed by a trade agreement in 1930.[9] In 1939, diplomatic relations between Egypt and Iran were upgraded to ambassadorial level,[10] andYoussef Zulficar Pasha was appointed as Egypt's first ambassador in Tehran. In the same year,Princess Fawzia of Egypt, the sister ofKing Farouk I, marriedMohammad Reza Pahlavi, the then crown prince (later shah) of Iran.[10]
On November 20th 1951, Iranian prime ministerMossadegh visited Egypt for four days.[11][12] There he was greeted as a national hero for nationalizing the oil industry in Iran.[13] Mossadegh met both King Farouk and prime ministerMustafa al-Nahhas, where he has awarded an honorary doctorate degree fromFouad University.[14]
The relationship between Iran and Egypt had fallen into open hostility after theEgyptian Revolution of 1952 which broughtGamal Abdel Nasser to power and theCIA-backed coup d'état in Iran in 1953 which saw the return of the ShahMohammad Reza Pahlavi to power. Egypt felt threatened by theBaghdad Pact, which Iran joined in 1955, whose members were criticized as a part of the Anglo-American alliance and against anti-colonial Arab nations.[15] Due to the positive approach of the Shah towards Israel in July 1960 Egypt and Iran expelled each other's ambassadors.[16] The strained relations between Egypt and Iran became progressively worse when Nasser financedAyatollah Khomeini and other Iranian opposition groups in May 1963 to accelerate the latter's opposition to the Shah.[16][17]
After the 1967 war, Iran and Egypt slowly repaired relations. Iran supported an Israeli withdrawal from captured Arab lands.[18] Following Nasser's death in 1970, thepresidency ofAnwar Sadat turned the relationship around quickly into an open and cordial friendship. Sadat visited Tehran in October 1971, meeting with the Shah.[19] The relationship between Cairo and Tehran became so friendly that the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, called Sadat his "dear brother." After the1973 war with Israel, Iran assumed a leading role in cleaning up and reactivating the blockedSuez Canal with heavy investment. During the war, Iran allowed Soviet planes to use Iranian airspace to deliver military supplies to Egypt, as well as providing Egypt with loans and grants in exchange for the use of Egypt's Mediterranean ports.[20] Iran also facilitated the withdrawal of Israel from the occupiedSinai Peninsula by promising to substitute with free Iranian oil to the Israelis if they withdrew from the Egyptian oil wells in Western Sinai. All these added more to the personal friendship between Sadat and the Shah of Iran.
"Ties between the countries—among the largest and most influential in the Middle East—were turned hostile once again following theIslamic Revolution in Iran in 1979. Diplomatic relations between the two severed in 1980 following the admission of the deposed Shah of Iran to Egypt (where he died and was buried) and Egypt's recognition of Israel."[21] Egypt's 1979 peace agreement with Israel also led to tense relations and Iran ceased direct flights to Egypt.[22] Egypt is the only Arab country without an embassy in Iran.[23] Contentious issues include Egypt's signing of theCamp David Accords with Israel in 1979, its support for Iraq inIran's eight-year conflict, the Islamic Republic's hailing ofKhalid Islambouli, the President Anwar Sadat's assassin as a religious hero, seeing as there was both a street and mural named after him (however, the honouree was changed toMuhammad al-Durrah, the 12-year-oldPalestinian boy shot and killed during the outset of the Second Intifada), and close Egyptian relations with the United States, and most of the Western European countries.
In 2007, relations between the two countries thawed in the fields of diplomacy and economic trade, only to retreat during the2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict when Iranian and Egyptian politiciansexchanged blames over inaction towards the escalation of the conflict. It was not until the official resignation of PresidentHosni Mubarak in February 2011 that relations started to improve significantly. In April 2012, Iran appointed an ambassador to Egypt. Soon afterMohamed Morsi visited Iran in August 2012, it was decided to reestablish bilateral diplomatic relations, with rededication of embassy locations. A first ambassador was nominated to represent Egypt in Iran. While overall relations have been steadily improving, continued tensions between Iran, Saudi Arabia and allied Western nations have put this development into question.[24] In March 2013, direct flights between two countries were reinstated.[22] In July 2013, after theuprising and subsequentoverthrow that removedMohamed Morsi and hisMuslim Brotherhood-dominated government, the interim Minister of Foreign Affairs,Nabil Fahmy announced that Egypt seeks stable and positive ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran.[citation needed] In 2015, Egyptian PresidentAbdel Fattah El-Sisi stated that Egypt has no relations with Iran on the Egyptian Extra News channel.
In 2023, in the aftermath of the Chinese brokered Saudi-Iran Deal, Egypt and Iran have had numerous rounds of talks in Oman aimed at restoring relations between the two countries. In May 2023, Iran's Supreme Leader AyatollahAli Khamenei said in a meeting with Oman's Sultan that Tehran welcomes better diplomatic relations with Cairo.[25]
Hani Suleiman, a political analyst (in a conversation withAl-Masry Al-Youm): The meeting between the presidents of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Egypt (in 2023), on the sidelines of the Riyadh meeting is considered to be very significant because of some issues, because the mentioned meeting is regarded the first meeting between the heads of these 2 countries after a long time away.[26]
Following the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, and the appointment of ambassadors after nearly 30 years, Egyptian PresidentMohammed Morsi made a historic first visit to Iran since theIranian Revolution for theNon-Aligned Movement summit on 30 August 2012, where it handed over the rotating presidency to Iran.[27] Iranian president,Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also visited Egypt in February 2013, making him the first Iranian president to travel to Egypt since theIranian Revolution.[28]
| Guest | Host | Place of visit | Date of visit |
|---|---|---|---|
 PresidentMohamed Morsi |  PresidentMahmoud Ahmadinejad | Tehran | August 2012 |
| PresidentMahmoud Ahmadinejad | PresidentMohamed Morsi | Cairo | 6–7 February 2013 |
| PresidentMasoud Pezeshkian | PresidentAbdel Fattah el-Sisi | Cairo | 18–20 December 2024 |
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