CNN reported in a newsletter focusing on the Middle East that there might soon be a rapprochement and mutual visits between Egypt and Iran, reflecting on the historical relations between the two countries since the first royal wedding of its kind captured in the Middle East. In 1939, Princess Fawzia of Egypt married Iranian Crown Prince Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, leading to a royal connection between two major Middle Eastern countries in a strategic alliance.
The report noted that "after 40 years from the wedding, Pahlavi was overthrown in the 'Islamic Revolution' that changed the course of Iranian relations with Arab countries, particularly causing Iranian-Egyptian relations to spiral downwards, from which neither country has ever recovered. This resulted in the longest conflict between Iran and an Arab state in modern times," adding: "However, this conflict may soon be coming to an end."
It clarified: "Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei publicly endorsed the normalization of relations with Egypt, the largest Arab country by population, stating that Iran 'welcomes Egypt's interest in restoring relations.' He tweeted: 'We have no issue in this regard.'"
Media reports have suggested a possible thaw between the two countries following Omani Sultan Haitham bin Tarik's visit to both nations last month, which was seen as "an attempt to mediate" reconciliation. In an interview with the station, H.A. Hellyer, a researcher at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said: "Iran is always looking for more cooperation in the wider Arab region, and normalizing relations with Egypt, which has traditionally aligned with the United States, would be a prize for Tehran."
Trita Parsi, vice president of the Quincy Institute for Research in Washington, stated that "after Iran's failure to normalize relations with the West, stronger ties with other Middle Eastern countries now serve as an alternative." He added: "The region is also discovering its capacity to make its own decisions and diplomacy; we are facing a new moment in which a new arrangement is being made in the region, and suddenly it has become in everyone’s interest to maximize their maneuverability before the emergence of a new regional order."
