Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi arrived in Cairo late Wednesday for discussions with Egyptian officials, marking the first such visit in several years. This trip is part of a Middle Eastern tour amid rising worries about a potential escalation of conflict with Israel. Tensions are heightened due to expectations of an Israeli strike on Iran in retaliation for a missile attack on October 1, following a rapidly escalating confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran.
Araqchi’s visit aims to facilitate “important discussions with senior Egyptian officials” scheduled for Thursday, according to Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry. This trip follows stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, and Lebanon. Although Egypt and Iran have had a complicated relationship in recent decades, high-level diplomatic engagement has increased since the onset of the Gaza crisis last year, as Egypt has sought to mediate. Additionally, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty made a trip to Tehran in July to attend the presidential inauguration in Iran.
