Iraqi, Omani mediation to restore ties between Egypt, Iran

A diplomatic source in Cairo said that although Egypt welcomes this mediation, especially the Iraqi mediation, as Egypt and Iraq have special relations, Egypt is observing the developments in the region, Almaalomah News reported.

The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed, last Monday, that Iran welcomes any positive development or progress that would strengthen the relations between Iran and Egypt.

The Iranian ministry denied imposing any restrictions on the travel of Egyptian citizens to Iran, and confirmed it welcomes Egyptians travelling to Iran.

The relations between Cairo and Tehran were strained after the success of the Islamic revolution in 1979, when the leader of the revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini, decided to sever the diplomatic relations with Egypt in response to the Egyptian agreement with Israel represented in the Camp David Accords.

The disagreements between the two countries deepened following the decision of the late Egyptian President, Muhammad Anwar El-Sadat, in February 1980, to host the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

The two sides made efforts to raise the level of relations. Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami met former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in 2003 on the sidelines of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva.

After the departure of the Mubarak regime, former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Cairo in 2013 to participate in the Islamic Summit.