Iran International
The Iranian Foreign Minister’s recent visit to Cairo could signal progress toward healing one of the explosive region's deepest rifts, which has lingered from the Iranian Revolution and Egypt's peace treaty with Israel.
The relationship between the Sunni Muslim heavyweight and the Shi'ite theocracy has been in a deep freeze ever since.
Following Araghchi’s June 2 meeting with Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the top Iranian envoy himself wrote in an Arabic post on X that diplomacy between Iran and Egypt had entered a new phase.
“The level of interaction and political cooperation, and most importantly, the level of trust and confidence in the relations between the two countries, is unprecedented.”
In a diplomatically worded but significant statement, the Egyptian presidency said sides had emphasized “the importance of pursuing the current path to explore prospects for further advancing the two countries’ relations.”
Egyptian media similarly adopted an optimistic tone, with Egypt Today describing Araghchi’s visit as “one of the most visible signs of rapprochement” and noting it could signal “potential shifts in regional alliances and cooperation.”
What might resumed relations mean?
Egypt is a close US ally and maintains official relations with Israel. For Iran, mending the 45-year rift with Egypt could signal a softening of its revolutionary-era, anti-American posture.
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini famously called for the Egyptian people to rise up and overthrow Anwar Sadat after he normalized ties with Israel.
It would also send a strong message across the region that longstanding hostilities and rivalries can give way to cooperation.
Cairo, whose influence in the Arab world is much diminished following the quashing of Arab Spring protests and ongoing economic challenges—could bolster its image as a leading Arab power by positioning itself as an interlocutor between Iran and both Western and Arab nations.
Arab states in the Persian Gulf have taken Egypt's mantle of regional leadership following the unrest starting in 2011, but while all have a testy relationship with Tehran but only Cairo has not revived diplomatic ties or reopened its embassy in Iran.
The timing of Araghchi’s visit with that of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi—leading to a trilateral meeting—may be an indication of Egypt’s intent to play a mediating role in the Iranian nuclear file.
How did relations break down?
Tehran and Cairo have not had full diplomatic relations since 1979, when Iran’s Islamic Revolution ousted the Shah.
Egypt’s decision to host Iran's exiled monarch—who died and was buried in Cairo in 1980—sparked Iranian anger.
That same year, Iran officially cut ties with Egypt after it became the first Arab country to recognize Israel by signing the Camp David Accords.
Relations deteriorated further when Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was assassinated in 1981 by Islamist army officer Khaled Al-Islambouli.
In a controversial move, Iran named a street in Tehran after Islambouli—an act Egypt has long viewed as a profound insult.
Despite the hostility, the two countries agreed in the early 1990s to restore diplomatic relations at the level of chargé d'affaires—a status that has remained in place for more than three decades.
What are the obstacles to full resumption of diplomatic relations?
Iran’s strong opposition to the Camp David treaty and its revolutionary posture in the post-1979 era set the foundation for decades-long rift with Egypt.
While successive governments have considered changing the street’s name as a goodwill gesture, hardliners have repeatedly blocked such efforts.
Though there have been several high-level encounters between Iranian and Egyptian officials since 2012, most have occurred on the sidelines of international or regional summits.
In August 2012, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi made a landmark visit to Tehran to hand over the rotating presidency of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit to Iran.
It was the first visit by an Egyptian head of state to Iran since 1979 and marked a sharp departure from the policies of Morsi’s predecessor, Hosni Mubarak.
That visit was followed by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s trip to Cairo in February 2013 to attend the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit—another rare show of diplomacy between the two sides.
Fast forward to 2023, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi ordered steps to improve ties with Cairo. Later that year, in November, he met al-Sisi during the Joint Arab-Islamic Summit in Riyadh.
In December 2024, Raisi’s successor, President Masoud Pezeshkian, visited Cairo at al-Sisi's invitation to attend the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation summit. During the visit, Pezeshkian held meetings with al-Sisi and other top Egyptian officials.
Accompanying him was Araghchi, who has since made three subsequent visits to Cairo.
Ali has been living in Canada for eleven years. When he and his wife immigrated, the Islamic Republic's embassy in Ottawa had already been closed, with diplomatic ties severed two years earlier.
Although Ali has never returned to Iran since arriving in Canada, his wife has made necessary trips back and had to renew her Iranian passport through the Interests Section of the Islamic Republic in Washington, DC.
One of these renewals contained legal errors — leaving her stranded in Iran at the time of the downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752.
On January 8, 2020, amid heightened tensions between Iran and the US following the killing of Qassem Soleimani, Flight PS752 was shot down by two missiles fired by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) just six minutes after takeoff from Tehran.
All 176 people on board — as well as an unborn child — were killed.
Of those passengers, 138 were ultimately headed to Canada. The loss of 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents turned the downing into a national tragedy and further deepened the diplomatic rift between Ottawa and Tehran.
Canada cut diplomatic ties with Iran and shut down its embassy in Tehran in 2012, citing several concerns: Iran’s support for the Assad regime during the Syrian civil war, its defiance of United Nations resolutions on its nuclear program, ongoing threats against Israel, and security risks to Canadian diplomats after the British embassy in Tehran was attacked in breach of the Vienna Convention.
Iran’s message to Canada’s new government
In a rare development, CBC's senior international correspondent Margaret Evans was granted access to Iran earlier this month. During a press conference, she asked Esmail Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, about the future of diplomatic relations with Canada.
Baghaei responded: "The relationship was frozen unilaterally by Canada, not by Iran, and we never welcomed that decision because we think that decision was not for the benefit of either of the two nations."
He added: "I think it's for Canada to decide what course of action they want to take. I think the first step they have to take is to unravel the many sanctions and restraints that they have imposed on themselves and on our bilateral relations. We were never in favor of severing ties. Hundreds of thousands of Iranians live in Canada, and they were the first to suffer from this situation."
But for many in the Iranian-Canadian community, the presence of an Iranian embassy in Canada is not seen as benign — nor missed.
A matter of security and influence
Many Iranian Canadians argue that Iranian embassies abroad function less as diplomatic institutions and more as extensions of the regime’s intelligence and influence operations.
Critics say these missions monitor dissidents and facilitate connections with proxy groups abroad.
Ali, for one, opposes any effort to reopen the Islamic Republic’s embassy in Canada. "Despite weak immigration enforcement that has allowed many former regime officials to settle here," he says.
"The continued closure of the Islamic Republic's embassy in Ottawa has at least prevented further infiltration and harmful activity."
Canada’s official position: no plans to reengage
The Canadian government has made it clear that it has no intention of reestablishing diplomatic ties under current conditions. In response to a request from Iran International, Global Affairs Canada stated:
“Iran must make fundamental changes in its behavior — both domestically and internationally — before the re-establishment of diplomatic relations with Canada can be considered.”
The statement went on to say that Canada remains deeply concerned about:
Until meaningful change is seen, Canada will continue its pressure campaign, which includes:
Conservatives: No normalization with a terrorist state
Since the beginning of Iran’s “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement in 2022, Canadians have repeatedly expressed support for the Iranian people. In 2024, the Canadian government officially listed the IRGC as a terrorist organization — a move long advocated by Conservatives.
Garnett Genuis, the Conservative MP who first introduced a motion in 2018 to designate the IRGC as a terrorist entity, reaffirmed his party’s position in an exclusive comment to Iran International:
“Proposals to re-establish ties with this extremist, terrorist-supporting regime are completely unacceptable. While the Liberals have historically supported reopening relations, Conservatives are proud of our record of standing up to the regime and supporting the Iranian people.”
“The Iranian people deserve the opportunity to choose a government that reflects their aspirations for justice and peace. We stand with the people of Iran — not the regime. That will not change.”
Diplomacy — or expanded access for the Islamic Republic?
Some argue that diplomatic relations might help resolve bilateral issues — such as the investigation into the downing of PS752. Others believe such ties only give the Islamic Republic more room to maneuver. They point to countries like Sweden and the UK, where Iranian embassies exist but have done little to increase Tehran’s accountability.
Iranian Canadians have voiced their stance clearly in recent years. Tens of thousands have participated in public rallies, demonstrating not only their distance from the clerical establishment, but also their commitment to keeping Canada informed about the real demands of the Iranian people.
Today, many like Ali say they are willing to accept the consular complications that come with the absence of an embassy — if it means limiting the Islamic Republic’s access and influence in Canada.
