Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty left for Washington this week for a visit during which he will meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in addition to a number of high-profile members of the US Congress in order to discuss developments in the Middle East.
A Foreign Ministry press release on 14 April stated that Abdelatty will also participate in the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank within the framework of strengthening cooperation with international financial institutions and consulting on global economic developments.
Abdelatty’s visit to Washington comes as Egypt, alongside Pakistan and Turkey, is ramping up diplomatic efforts to extend the two-week ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran.
More than 3,000 people have been killed in US-Israeli strikes on Iran since 28 February. In response, Tehran launched retaliatory attacks on Israel, Iraq, Jordan, and the Arab Gulf countries hosting US military bases before the two-week ceasefire was announced on 7 April.
It is set to end on 21 April.
US President Donald Trump announced his agreement to the truce with Iran on 7 April less than two hours before the deadline he had set for what he described as the destruction of the entire civilisation of Iran.
Iranian and US delegations concluded 21 hours of talks in Islamabad early on Sunday without reaching an agreement.
The US online news Website Axios reported on Monday that Egyptian, Pakistani, and Turkish mediators will continue talks with the US and Iran in the coming days in an effort to bridge the remaining gaps and reach a deal to end the war.
“The mediators still believe a deal is possible and hope that narrowing the gaps could enable another round of negotiations before the ceasefire expires on 21 April,” Axios said, adding that “Egypt, Pakistan, and Turkey were the ones that led the mediation efforts between the United States and Iran and succeeded in persuading both sides to accept a two-week ceasefire.”
It said that Egypt had played a pivotal role in bringing the views of the United States and Iran closer together in order to reach a ceasefire agreement.
On Sunday, and once the news of the failure of the negotiations between the US and Iran was announced, Abdelatty and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan held separate phone calls with their Pakistani and Iranian counterparts.
Abdelatty also made a phone call to US Envoy Steve Witkoff. According to a Foreign Ministry statement, Abdelatty called for diplomatic dialogue to resolve the conflict during his phone call with Witkoff, stressing the importance of finding a peaceful solution and the adherence to diplomacy, even after the Islamabad talks ended without an agreement.
According to the statement, Witkoff briefed Abdelatty on Washington’s position during the negotiations “within the framework of close coordination and continuous consultation between Egypt and the United States.”
Witkoff praised “the existing cooperation and Egypt’s efforts in supporting security and stability in the Middle East.” Abdelatty, in turn, stressed the importance of adhering to diplomacy and pursuing peaceful solutions “to reach an agreement on all outstanding issues to preserve regional security and stability.”
On Monday, Abdelatty also made phone calls with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein, and Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi.
The calls included an exchange of views on the rapidly evolving regional situation following the US-Iranian negotiations in Islamabad last Saturday.
Emphasis was placed on the importance of continuing and intensifying efforts to de-escalate tensions and prioritise negotiations to help overcome the current crisis and maintain regional stability and security.
The American media said on Monday that the main sticking points during the 21-hour negotiations between the United States and Iran in Pakistan focused on “the nuclear issue”.
One important difference related to America’s demand that Iran freeze uranium enrichment and give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
The sources said that another issue concerned the frozen funds that Iran wants the US to release in exchange for nuclear concessions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi said that the countries were “inches away” from reaching an agreement before “the United States changed the rules of the game” — a description not corroborated by US officials and regional sources, although they confirmed progress had been made.
As a result, the foreign ministers of Egypt and Turkey had to intervene in a last-ditch effort to bridge the differences between the two countries and before the two-week ceasefire agreement expires on 21 April.
Axios reported that Egypt had played a pivotal role in bringing the views of the US and Iran closer together, in order to extend the agreement. It added that “Pakistan spearheaded the mediation efforts, and Egypt was a key element in the success of the ceasefire, whether in Iran or Gaza, and Turkey also contributed to the mediation efforts.”
Political analyst Hassan Abu Taleb told Al-Ahram Weekly that the strategy of Egypt and other mediators is to prevent the resumption of US attacks on Iran, while simultaneously pressuring Tehran to reconsider proposals put forward by US President Donald Trump during the previous talks in Islamabad.
Military strategist Major-General Mohamed Abdel-Moneim, said Trump’s decision to impose a naval blockade on ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz, in addition to imposing a blockade on Iranian ports, was an expected move.
The measure, according to Abdel-Moneim, aims to reduce Iranian exports, which exceed $8.5 billion, including petroleum, petrochemicals, and other manufactured goods. He indicated that Washington seeks to force the Iranian regime to comply with American demands regarding its nuclear and missile programmes.
Abdel-Moneim likened Trump’s blockade to what happened in Venezuela in January, when reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft, both above and below water, were used to impose complete control before the seizure of the country’s president.
He warned that if the blockade fails to achieve its objectives, the United States might resort to destroying Iranian infrastructure, impacting oil supplies and negatively affecting the global economy.
“This explains why Egypt is coordinating closely with countries like Turkey and Pakistan to reach an agreement that can bring Washington and Tehran closer together and put an end to the conflict in an effort to avoid devastating economic consequences and sliding into a comprehensive military confrontation,” Abdel-Moneim said.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 16 April, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.
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