Egyptian and Iranian presidents discuss developments in Gaza and the restoration of relations

The Egyptian and Iranian presidents discussed the latest developments in Gaza and the restoration of diplomatic relations between their countries during what Iranian state television said was their first phone call on Saturday.

The television reported that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi made a phone call with his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

The two men met in November for the first time on the sidelines of the extraordinary joint Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh.

Iranian state television reported, “Raisi said that Iran is ready to provide all its capabilities to stop the genocide committed by the Zionist regime and send aid to the Palestinians.”

Relations between Cairo and Tehran have been generally tense over the past decades, but the two countries have maintained some diplomatic contacts. The phone call comes in the wake of other moves by governments in the region to ease tensions in the past few months.

Saudi Arabia and Iran resumed diplomatic relations earlier this year, while Egypt ended its dispute with Qatar and restored ties with Turkey.

Reuters