Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei welcomes restoration of diplomatic ties with Egypt

(Patria) - Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he "welcomes" the restoration of full diplomatic relations between Egypt and the Islamic Republic, increasing prospects that Cairo and
Tehran will normalize relations after decades of tension, AP reported.

Iranian state television quoted Khamenei's remarks at a meeting he held with Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, who was visiting. Sultan Haitham's trip to Tehran, his first since taking power in 2020, comes as Muscat has long served as a mediator between Tehran and the West.

There are increasing signs that Egypt and Iran are potentially restoring ties, especially since Saudi Arabia and Iran reached a détente in March with Chinese mediation. Cairo relies on Saudi
Arabia and other oil-rich Gulf Arab states for economic support.

"We welcome this issue and have no problems in this regard," Khamenei said. There was no comment from Egypt on this.

Under Anwar Sadat, Egypt severed ties with Iran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Sadat was a close friend of the deposed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, welcomed him to Egypt shortly before his death, and hosted his funeral in 1980. The Shah is buried in the Al-Rifai Mosque in Cairo. Egypt's peace agreement with Israel also angered the Iranian government, which sees Israel as its greatest regional enemy.

After the Arab Spring in 2011 and the election of President Mohammed Morsi, who belonged to the Muslim Brotherhood, relations with Iran improved. However, in 2013, the army overthrew Morsi, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi took power and immediately distanced himself from Tehran.