Egypt–Iran relations

Last updated

Egypt-Iran relations
Iran Egypt Locator.png
Flag of Egypt.svg
Egypt
Flag of Iran.svg
Iran
Diplomatic mission
Embassy of Egypt, TehranEmbassy of Iran, Cairo

Following the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, Iran appointed its first ambassador to Egypt in almost 30 years. [1] Despite oft-wavering tensions between the two countries, they share membership in the OIC, the BRICS and the Developing 8.

Contents

According to a 2013 BBC 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]

History

Egypt was ruled by the Achaemenid and Sassanid Persian Empires during ancient times.

Despite sharing the Shia faith, Fatimid Egypt and Buyid Iran had unfriendly relations due to conflicting interests over Syria and Jazira. [5] Both later declined under the pressure of the Seljuk Turks. Following the 1258 Sack of Baghdad, the Sunni Caliphs found asylum in Mamluk Egypt. The Ilkhanate Mongols, based in Iran, fought many wars with the Mamluks even after converting to Islam.

In the 15th century, Mamluk Egypt and Iran under the Aq Qoyunlu Padishah continued to clash in Upper Mesopotamia, culminating in the Battle of Urfa after a similar Iranian advance into Egyptian dependencies in the decade before. [6] However, attitudes changed when Ottoman expansion tipped the balance of power in the Middle East. The Ottomans invaded Egypt once a Safavid-Mamluk alliance seemed imminent. [7]

In 1939, diplomatic relations between Egypt and Iran were upgraded to ambassadorial level, [8] and Youssef Zulficar Pasha was appointed as Egypt's first ambassador in Tehran. In the same year, Princess Fawzia of Egypt, the sister of King Farouk I, married Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the then crown prince (later shah) of Iran. [8]

The relationship between Iran and Egypt had fallen into open hostility after the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 which brought Gamal Abdel Nasser to power and the CIA-backed coup d'état in Iran in 1953 which saw the return of the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to power. Due to the positive approach of the Shah towards Israel in July 1960 Egypt and Iran expelled each other's ambassadors. [9] The strained relations between Egypt and Iran became progressively worse when Nasser financed Ayatollah Khomeini in May 1963 to accelerate the latter's opposition to the Shah. [9]

1970–1973

Following Nasser's death in 1970, the presidency of Anwar Sadat turned the relationship around quickly into an open and cordial friendship. Overnight, Egypt and Iran were turned from bitter enemies into fast friends. The relationship between Cairo and Tehran became so friendly that the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, called Sadat his "dear brother." After the 1973 war with Israel, Iran assumed a leading role in cleaning up and reactivating the blocked Suez Canal with heavy investment. Iran also facilitated the withdrawal of Israel from the occupied Sinai 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. [10]

1979

"Ties between the countries—among the largest and most influential in the Middle East—were turned hostile once again following the Islamic 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." [11] Egypt's 1979 peace agreement with Israel also led to tense relations and Iran ceased direct flights to Egypt. [12] Egypt is the only Arab country without an embassy in Iran. [13] Contentious issues include Egypt's signing of the Camp David Accords with Israel in 1979, its support for Iraq in Iran's eight-year conflict, the Islamic Republic's hailing of Khalid 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 to Muhammad al-Durrah, the 12-year-old Palestinian 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.

2007 to 2015

In 2007, relations between the two countries thawed in the fields of diplomacy and economic trade, only to retreat during the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict when Iranian and Egyptian politicians exchanged blames over inaction towards the escalation of the conflict. It was not until the official resignation of President Hosni Mubarak in February 2011 that relations started to improve significantly. In April 2012, Iran appointed an ambassador to Egypt. Soon after Mohamed 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. [14] In March 2013, direct flights between two countries were reinstated. [12] In July 2013, after the uprising and subsequent overthrow that removed Mohamed Morsi and his Muslim 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 President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi stated that Egypt has no relations with Iran on the Egyptian Extra News channel.

2023

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 Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a meeting with Oman's Sultan that Tehran welcomes better diplomatic relations with Cairo. [15]

Hani Suleiman, a political analyst (in a conversation with Al-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. [16]

Bilateral visits

Following the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, and the appointment of ambassadors after nearly 30 years, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi made a historic first visit to Iran since the Iranian Revolution for the Non-Aligned Movement summit on 30 August 2012, where it handed over the rotating presidency to Iran. [17] Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also visited Egypt in February 2013, making him the first Iranian president to travel to Egypt since the Iranian Revolution. [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

The history of Egypt has been long and wealthy, due to the flow of the Nile River with its fertile banks and delta, as well as the accomplishments of Egypt's native inhabitants and outside influence. Much of Egypt's ancient history was a mystery until Egyptian hieroglyphs were deciphered with the discovery and deciphering of the Rosetta Stone. Among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is the Great Pyramid of Giza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anwar Sadat</span> 3rd president of Egypt from 1970 to 1981

Muhammad Anwar es-Sadat was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the third president of Egypt, from 15 October 1970 until his assassination by fundamentalist army officers on 6 October 1981. Sadat was a senior member of the Free Officers who overthrew King Farouk I in the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, and a close confidant of President Gamal Abdel Nasser, under whom he served as Vice President twice and whom he succeeded as president in 1970. In 1978, Sadat and Menachem Begin, Prime Minister of Israel, signed a peace treaty in cooperation with United States President Jimmy Carter, for which they were recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize.

According to most scholars the history of modern Egypt dates from the start of the rule of Muhammad Ali in 1805 and his launching of Egypt's modernization project that involved building a new army and suggesting a new map for the country, though the definition of Egypt's modern history has varied in accordance with different definitions of modernity. Some scholars date it as far back as 1516 with the Ottomans' defeat of the Mamlūks in 1516–17.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arab League–Iran relations</span> Bilateral relations

The dynamic between the League of Arab States and the Islamic Republic of Iran has been ambivalent, owing to the latter's varying bilateral conduct with each country of the former. Iran is located on the easternmost frontier of the Arab League, which consists of 22 Arab countries and spans the bulk of the Middle East and North Africa, of which Iran is also a part. The Arab League's population is dominated by ethnic Arabs, whereas Iran's population is dominated by ethnic Persians; and while both sides have Islam as a common religion, their sects differ, with Sunnis constituting the majority in the Arab League and Shias constituting the majority in Iran. Since Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979, the country's Shia theocracy has attempted to assert itself as the legitimate religious and political leadership of all Muslims, contesting a status that has generally been understood as belonging to Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia, where the cities of Mecca and Medina are located. This animosity, manifested in the Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict, has greatly exacerbated the Shia–Sunni divide throughout the Muslim world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the Iranian Revolution</span>

This article is a timeline of events relevant to the Islamic Revolution in Iran. For earlier events refer to Pahlavi dynasty and for later ones refer to History of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This article doesn't include the reasons of the events and further information is available in Islamic revolution of Iran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egypt–United States relations</span> Bilateral relations

Egypt and the United States formally began relations in 1922 after Egypt gained nominal independence from the United Kingdom. Relations between both countries have largely been dictated by regional issues in the Middle East such as the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and Counterterrorism. But also domestic issues in Egypt regarding the country's human rights record and American support for the regimes of Hosni Mubarak and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi which the United States had come under controversy for in the aftermath of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, and with many dissents of the current regime describing Sisi's rule as tyrannical.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egypt–Turkey relations</span> Bilateral relations

Egypt and Turkey are bound by strong religious, cultural and historical ties, but diplomatic ties between the two have remained extremely friendly at times and extremely strained at others. For three centuries, Egypt was part of the Ottoman Empire, whose capital was Istanbul in modern-day Turkey, despite governor of Egypt, Muhammad Ali, waging war against the Ottoman sultan, Mahmud II, in 1831.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohammad Reza Pahlavi</span> Shah of Iran from 1941 to 1979

Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, commonly referred to in the Western world as Mohammad Reza Shah, or just simply The Shah, was the last monarch of Iran. He began ruling the Imperial State of Iran after succeeding his father Reza Shah in 1941 and remained in power until he was overthrown by the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which abolished the country's monarchy and established the Islamic Republic of Iran. In 1967, he took up the title Shahanshah and held several others, including Aryamehr and Bozorg Arteshtaran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egypt–Iraq relations</span> Bilateral relations

Egypt–Iraq relations have varied over time, alternating from cooperation to rivalry over time. The modern relationship between Iraq and Egypt soured in 1977 when the two nations broke relations with each other following Egypt's peace accords with Israel. In 1978, Baghdad hosted an Arab League summit that condemned and ostracized Egypt for accepting the Camp David accords. However, Egypt's strong material and diplomatic support for Iraq in its war with Iran led to warmer relations and numerous contacts between senior officials, despite the continued absence of ambassadorial-level representation. Since 1983, Iraq has repeatedly called for the restoration of Egypt's "natural role" among Arab countries. In January 1984, Iraq successfully led Arab efforts within the OIC to restore Egypt's membership.

The History of Republican Egypt spans the period of modern Egyptian history from the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 to the present day, which saw the toppling of the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan, the establishment of a presidential republic, and a period of profound economic, and political change in Egypt, and throughout the Arab world. The abolition of a monarchy and aristocracy viewed widely as sympathetic to Western interests, particularly since the ousting of Khedive Isma'il Pasha, over seven decades earlier, helped strengthen the authentically Egyptian character of the republic in the eyes of its supporters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assassination of Anwar Sadat</span> 1981 murder in Cairo, Egypt

On 6 October 1981, Anwar Sadat, the 3rd President of Egypt, was assassinated during the annual victory parade held in Cairo to celebrate Operation Badr, during which the Egyptian Army had crossed the Suez Canal and taken back the Sinai Peninsula from Israel at the beginning of the Yom Kippur War. The assassination was undertaken by members of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Although the motive has been debated, Sadat's assassination likely stemmed from Arab nationalists who opposed Sadat's peace initiative with Israel and the United States relating to the Camp David Accords.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farah Pahlavi</span> Queen/Empress of Iran from 1959 to 1979

Farah Pahlavi is the widow of the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and was successively Queen and Empress of Iran from 1959 to 1979. She was born into a prosperous Iranian family whose fortunes were diminished after her father's early death. While studying architecture in Paris, she was introduced to Mohammad Reza at the Iranian embassy, and they were married in December 1959. The Shah's first two marriages had not produced a son—necessary for royal succession—resulting in great rejoicing at the birth of Crown Prince Reza in October of the following year. Farah was then free to pursue interests other than domestic duties, though she was not allowed a political role. She worked for many charities, and founded Iran's first American-style university, enabling more women to become students in the country. She also facilitated the buying-back of Iranian antiquities from museums abroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamdeen Sabahi</span> Egyptian journalist and politician

Hamdeen Sabahi is an Egyptian politician and journalist. He is a former presidential candidate and currently the leader of the Egyptian Popular Current and a co-leader of the National Salvation Front.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iran–Mexico relations</span> Bilateral relations

The nations of and Iran and Mexico established diplomatic relations in 1964. Both nations are members of the Group of 15, Group of 24, and the United Nations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egypt–Saudi Arabia relations</span> Bilateral relations

Historically, relations between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia could be considered as extending several centuries back to the relations between earlier regimes in Egypt – the highly autonomous Egypt Eyalet in the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Egypt – and the earlier manifestations of Saudi/Wahhabi power in the Arabian Peninsula. Saudi Arabia and Egypt are both highly influential countries in the Arab world. Egypt is the most populous Arab country, and Saudi Arabia is a member of the G20. According to a 2013 Pew global opinion poll, 78% of Egyptians express a favourable view of Saudi Arabia, and 19% express an unfavourable view.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egypt–Syria relations</span> Bilateral relations

Egypt–Syria relations refers to the bilateral relations between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Syrian Arab Republic. Egypt has an embassy in Damascus. Syria has an embassy in Cairo. Both countries are members of the Arab League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iran–Jordan relations</span> Bilateral relations

The Islamic Republic of Iran and Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan share a long but complicated relationship which has, at times, been tense and unstable. Jordan has an embassy in Tehran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egypt–Yugoslavia relations</span> Bilateral relations

Egypt–Yugoslavia relations were historical foreign relations between Egypt and now break-up Yugoslavia. Both countries were founding members and prominent participants of the Non-Aligned Movement. While initially marginal, relations between the two Mediterranean countries developed significantly in the aftermath of the Soviet-Yugoslav split of 1948 and the Egyptian revolution of 1952. Belgrade hosted the Non-Aligned movement's first conference for which preparatory meeting took place in Cairo, while Cairo hosted the second conference. While critical of certain aspects of the Camp David Accords Yugoslavia remained major advocate for Egyptian realist approach within the movement, and strongly opposed harsh criticism of Cairo or proposals which questioned country's place within the movement.

<i>The Execution of a Pharaoh</i> 2008 Iranian documentary about Anwar Sadats assassination

The Execution of a Pharaoh, also translated as The Assassination of the Pharaoh, is a 2008 Iranian documentary film produced by the Foundation for Honoring the Martyrs of the International Islamic Revolution Movement of Iran.

References

  1. "Iran appoints ambassador to Egypt, first in 30 years". Reuters. 19 April 2011. Archived from the original on 26 September 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  2. "BBC World Service Poll : Views of China and India Slide While UK's Ratings Climb: Global Poll" (PDF). Globalscan.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  3. "New poll: Egyptians turning toward Iran, want nuclear weapons | Foreign Policy". Thecable.foreignpolicy.com. 19 October 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  4. "Egypt, Iran Discuss Gaza Situation, Restoring Ties". Asharq Al-Awsat. 24 December 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  5. Frye, R.; Keshk, K. (2014). "Būyids". The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Politics. Oxford University Press.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. "AQ QOYUNLŪ". Encyclopædia Iranica.
  7. "Exactly 500 Years Ago, This Battle Changed the Middle East Forever". 23 August 2016.
  8. 1 2 Al Sherbini, Ramadan (5 February 2013). "Egypt and Iran on long, bumpy road". Gulf News. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  9. 1 2 Sohrab C. Sobhani (1989). The pragmatic entente: Israeli-Iranian relations, 1948–1988 (PhD thesis). Georgetown University. p. 75. ProQuest   303710655.
  10. Zephyr, Alexander (2014). Psalm 83: A New Discovery. ISBN   9781491750742.
  11. Iran appoints ambassador to Egypt, first in 30 years Reuters. 19 April 2011
  12. 1 2 "Chronology: Egypt". The Middle East Journal. Summer 2013. Archived from the original on 27 March 2016.
  13. Ahmadinejad unwelcome in Egypt: lawyer, Al Arabiya. 2 July 2009
  14. official says Cairo may open embassy in Iran soon, reports Iranian media [ permanent dead link ]Egypt Independent, 28 August 2012
  15. Arab, News. "Iran's Khamenei welcomes better ties with Egypt". Arab News. Arab News.{{cite web}}: |first1= has generic name (help)
  16. The importance of the "meeting between Raisi and Al-Sisi" from the Arab analyst's point of view Retrieved 26 December 2023
  17. "Egypt's Morsi to make historic trip to Tehran". Al Jazeera. 18 August 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  18. "Iran's president begins historic Egypt visit". Al Jazeera. 5 February 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2013.

Further reading