Iranian FM makes rare visit to Egypt amid escalating regional tensions

CAIRO – 17 October 2024: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has landed in Cairo, marking the first visit by a senior Iranian official to Egypt in a decade amid persisting Israeli wars in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as mounting tensions in the region.

Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that Araghchi's visit aligns with Egypt's endeavors to prevent further escalation in the region and secure a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei announced that Araghchi is scheduled to engage in "important discussions with Egyptian high-level officials" on Thursday.

His visit to Egypt is part of a broader diplomatic tour that has included stops in Saudi Arabia, Syria, Qatar, Iraq, Lebanon, and Oman.

Araghchi's tour coincides with looming Israeli attacks against Iran following Iran's launch of around 200 ballistic missiles towards Israel on 1 October.

The Iranian attack constituted Tehran’s most substantial direct assault on its long-standing adversary and the second such attack since the Gaza war started on October 7 last year.

Tehran's offensive was a retaliatory measure after Israel's assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July as well as Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Abbas Nilforoushan, a commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in Lebanon in September.

An Israeli source revealed to ABC News on Wednesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sanctioned a list of targets for potential retaliation against Iran's aerial strike.

Iran has repeatedly cautioned Israel against retaliating to its assault, emphasizing that the Iranian response in this case will be “stronger and more resolute.”