Iran’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned against the spread of regional conflict during a rare meeting in Cairo on Thursday.
Araghchi is the first Iranian foreign minister to visit Cairo since 2013. This stop is part of his multi-country regional tour following Israel’s vow to retaliate after an Iranian missile barrage against Israel on October 1.
According to a statement from Sisi’s office, the two discussed “the need to halt regional escalation” and “intensifying efforts towards ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon.”
Iran’s official news agency reported that Sisi and Araghchi “agreed on the necessity of intensifying efforts to end the crimes in Gaza and the aggression against Lebanon, help the displaced, and prevent the Zionist regime’s warmongering from expanding further,” in reference to Israel.
After decades of strained relations, Tehran and Cairo have slowly begun to improve ties in recent years, with diplomatic exchanges increasing over the past year since the outbreak of the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas militants.
Egypt has historically played a mediating role between Israeli and Palestinian officials, including the Iranian-backed Hamas.
However, Egypt’s efforts, along with fellow mediators Qatar and the United States, have so far failed to secure a ceasefire in the war, which has now spread to Lebanon, where Iran arms and finances Hezbollah.
Araghchi’s diplomatic tour, which aims to prevent the wars in Gaza and Lebanon from escalating further, has already taken him to Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan.
He is expected to visit Turkey next, according to Iran’s foreign ministry.
Iran’s barrage of around 200 missiles was, according to Iranian authorities, in retaliation for the killing of three of its key allies—Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, and an Iranian general.
On Thursday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards chief Hossein Salami warned that Iran would strike Israel “painfully” if it attacked Iranian targets.
In a call with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday, Araghchi said Tehran was prepared for a “decisive and regretful” response if Israel initiated an attack.