Acting on its belief that the only solution to the Iranian nuclear issue is dialogue and diplomacy, Egypt is continuing to support efforts to resolve the differences between the US and Iran.
Egypt’s mediation in the US-Iran nuclear talks is unlike the mediation in the classic sense of the term seen in the Arab-Arab or Palestinian-Israeli mediation, said Mohamed Hegazi, a former assistant to Egypt’s foreign minister.
“This is a policy to manage the regional balance of power at a time of unprecedented strategic disorder. Egypt is not mediating between Iran and the US as such but is trying to diffuse the regional turmoil caused by the three factors of continuous Israeli escalation, chronic Iranian-American tensions, and the vital importance of controlling Mediterranean and Red Sea maritime routes,” Hegazi told Al-Ahram Weekly.
In an official statement issued after the holding of the first round of talks between Iran and the US in the Omani capital Muscat last Friday, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry announced that Cairo fully supports the resumption of the talks with the mediation of the Sultanate of Oman, adding that this could help achieve a lasting agreement.
“There is no military solution to the Iranian nuclear issue. The only effective path is through dialogue and negotiation that meets the interests of all the parties,” read the statement, highlighting that Cairo would continue to support regional and international efforts to reach an agreement and would work in coordination with regional countries in this regard.
The statement also stressed the need to enhance international efforts to deal with the issue of nuclear non-proliferation in a comprehensive way through advancing the goal of creating a Middle East free of nuclear weapons and holding all regional states to this goal.
Egypt’s approach to the issue is linked to the rules governing its overall foreign policy, said Hoda Raouf, an expert in Iranian affairs. “It rejects the military option and prefers to stick to diplomacy. Egypt holds that resorting to the military option will have negative impacts on the security and stability of the region,” she told the Weekly.
Moreover, Egypt aims to link the Iranian issue with that of freeing the region from nuclear weapons, as reflected in the statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, she said.
Cairo’s role in mediating in the Iranian dialogue is motivated by an understanding that any Iranian-US conflict, even if limited or taking place by proxy, will impact Egypt’s national security either by threatening navigation in Suez Canal or by affecting security in the Red Sea or by further igniting tensions in Gaza, Lebanon, or Syria,” Hegazi said.
“Egypt’s approach is not merely diplomatic but is done out of the need to prevent these things from taking place,” he added.
Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty reiterated the Egyptian stand in phone calls with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday, his Omani counterpart Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi on Friday, and Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), on Saturday.
Abdelatty repeated his full support for the Iranian-US talks and for efforts aiming to promote dialogue and the settlement of issues via diplomacy.
Al-Busaidi briefed Abdelatty on the progress of the talks held in Muscat.
While Abdelatty expressed his appreciation of Oman’s constructive role in hosting and facilitating indirect talks between Iran and the US, he said that any solution should consider the concerns and interests of all the parties involved and contribute to enhancing regional security and stability.
Al-Busaidi lauded Egypt’s sustained efforts and intensive diplomatic contacts in recent weeks, describing Cairo’s role as constructive in bringing closer the views of the different parties and paving the way to the initiation of the negotiations.
Grossi’s call to Abdelatty on Saturday focused on developments in the Iranian nuclear issue.
Egypt’s top diplomat reiterated Cairo’s commitment to reducing regional tensions, underlining that Egypt will continue its intensive consultations to reach settlements that are likely to enhance regional and international security and stability.
Last week, Abdelatty held intensive consultations with senior officials from Iran, the United States, Qatar, Turkey, and Oman in order to explore diplomatic avenues for managing regional developments and reducing tensions.
The Iranian-US talks held in Muscat last Friday were the first indirect engagement between the US and Iran since the US-Israeli strikes against Iranian sites last July.
The Iranian delegation was led by Araghchi, while the US was represented by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
Both sides reportedly described the talks as “positive”, with plans to continue the discussions after consultations in their respective capitals.
“We will hold consultations with our capitals regarding the next steps, and the results will be conveyed to Oman’s foreign minister,” Araghchi said.
He said that the mistrust that has developed presents a serious challenge to the negotiations. “We must first address this issue and then enter into the next level of negotiations,” he added.
Iran wants to see an agreement that will lift the Western sanctions against it, since these have caused the country significant damage and contributed to the widespread protests in Iran last month over deteriorating living conditions.
Commenting on the talks, US President Donald Trump described them as “very good” and added that more were planned for early next week.
However, he warned that if Iran does not make a deal on its nuclear programme, “the consequences are very steep.”
Egypt’s efforts to resolve the issue through diplomacy started last year.
In June, Cairo hosted a high-level meeting between Egypt, Iran, and the IAEA after a report confirmed that Iran had stockpiled over 400 kg of uranium enriched to 60 per cent, close to weapons-grade
Months of negotiations finally led to the signing of a cooperation agreement between the IAEA and Iran brokered by Egypt in Cairo in September.
This allowed the IAEA to resume inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities. However, Iran pulled out of the agreement after France, Germany, and Italy, known as the E3 Group, triggered the reimposition of the UN sanctions that were lifted under the 2015 nuclear pact.
On 21 November, Iran stated that the deal was “null and void” following the IAEA board’s condemnation of its nuclear programme and demands for access to facilities hit by Israel and the US in July.
Tehran called the E3 decision “illegal and unjustified” and accused the US and the E3 countries of pushing the IAEA towards further escalation.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 12 February, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
Short link: