Four main reasons lie behind Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s visit to the Egyptian capital, Cairo. This visit is part of a regional tour Araghchi is conducting, which has included Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, followed by Egypt and Lebanon.
Reasons for Abbas Araghchi’s visit to Egypt
The first reason: The first reason is related to Egypt’s efforts to find a political and diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear program crisis, which is one of the key issues in the Middle East.
Araghchi’s visit to Egypt also comes ahead of the sixth round of US-Iranian negotiations hosted by the Omani capital, Muscat.
It is therefore crucial that the political option is likely to prevail, given the Trump administration’s efforts to reach a potential nuclear agreement with Tehran, as Trump himself announced at the end of last month.
The second reason: The second reason is related to Cairo’s relations with Washington and Tel Aviv, as the Egyptian capital sends a message that it has complete independence in making and taking its decisions regarding issues with regional and international dimensions related to the Middle East, in addition to its balance in its relations with various major parties in the region, including Iran, While this does not lead to an expansion of diplomatic representation between the two countries, it is a form of balancing Cairo’s regional relations.
The third reason: relates to Tehran’s desire to inform several Arab capitals, including Cairo, of the progress made in the nuclear program talks with Washington. During his visit to the Egyptian capital, Minister Araghchi met with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdel-Ati.
The fourth reason: This fourth reason is of great importance to Cairo, and is represented by the Egyptian administration’s desire to create a sense of calm and prevent escalation in the region and the occurrence of confrontations between some of its parties. It is also intended to limit the Houthi influence on global shipping and trade in the Red Sea, given the close ties between Tehran and the Yemeni group.
