Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty discussed on Sunday regional developments and the ongoing diplomatic contacts between Iran and the United States, which are being mediated by Pakistan.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said the two ministers held a phone call to review the latest political and security developments in the region, as well as diplomatic exchanges between Tehran and Washington, amid regional efforts and mediation aimed at easing tensions.
Earlier, the head of Iran’s Interests Section in Egypt, Mojtaba Ferdowsi, commented on reports circulated by several media outlets, particularly in the Gulf, regarding a possible Egyptian military presence in the UAE. He said Tehran does not oppose such a move and that Cairo is “free in its decisions” as a “major regional power in the Middle East”.
Ferdowsi added that Iran’s main concern, if any, is that Egypt should not become involved in any action supporting Israel in its conflict with Tehran.
He also said discussions within Iran over the Egyptian military presence in the Gulf highlighted the need for a “regional deterrent force” after the war, while stressing Tehran’s rejection of what he described as “imported security” from outside the region.
Meanwhile, Ahram Online quoted Ferdowsi-Pour as saying that reports about the possible deployment of Egyptian forces in the Gulf to counter potential attacks on Arab states remain unconfirmed and, if true, would be considered an internal Egyptian matter to be decided by the relevant authorities in Cairo.
The remarks came after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi visited the United Arab Emirates, where he inspected, alongside UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a unit of Egyptian warplanes stationed there, in a move seen as reinforcing military coordination between Cairo and Abu Dhabi, according to the Emirati state news agency WAM.
