Iran, Egypt likely to reopen embassies soon, says Iranian presidential aide

Mehdi Sanaei announced on Thursday that both countries have shown the necessary will to resume relations, with hopes of reaching the level of reopening embassies soon.

He noted that Iran and Egypt have not had political relations for over four decades, shortly after the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979, but the past year has seen improved interactions.

The aide added, “A productive dialogue took place between the presidents of the two countries in November, leading to the initiation of political talks and various actions between the countries.”

The announcement came after a rare visit by President Pezeshkian to Cairo, first by an Iranian president in 11 years, to attend the D-8 developing Islamic states summit.

Sanaei stated that the president’s visit to Egypt is not limited to economic issues but also aims to enhance cooperation among member states.

He highlighted that nearly 1.2 billion Muslims live in the D-8 countries and emphasized that the primary focus of the group is on economic matters and business enterprises.

Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, Indonesia, Nigeria, Malaysia, and Bangladesh are member states of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation.