Does Iran's Supreme leader want to make amends with long-standing foe Egypt?

Why you’re reading this: Iran is trying to mend its relationship with its oldest Arab foe. Last week, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei publically acknowledged normalizing ties with Egypt. Egypt is the most populous Arab country. The desire to make amends comes after Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq's visit to both nations, last month. According to local media reports, it has been seen as an attempt to broker a reconciliation. 

3 things you need to know: 

• Iran has been trying to patch its relationship with its oldest Arab enemy. Iranian-Egyptian ties went a downward spiral in the 1940s-50s, from which the two nations have never emerged. 
• Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently tweeted, “We welcome Egypt’s interest in restoring relations."
• Cooperation between the two countries is of significance since the two share the Strait of Hormuz. 

What did Iran's Supreme leader say?

In a series of tweets posted on Khamenei’s Twitter account after his meeting with the Sultan of Oman, the Supreme Leader of Iran wrote, "We believe the expansion of Iran-Oman relations in all fields is to the benefit of both sides. Increased cooperation between the two countries is of significance since the two share the Strait of Hormuz, which is a very important waterway." In a separate tweet, Khamenei added, "We welcome #Egypt’s interest in restoring relations with the Islamic Republic of #Iran, and we have no problem in this regard." 

Khamenei's comments come after Saudi Arabia normalised ties with Iran after nearly eight years of a diplomatic freeze. According to local media outlets, Iran reopened its embassy and consulate in Saudi Arabia last week. 

What is the feud between Iran and Egypt? 

In 1939, Princess Fawzia of Egypt tied the knot with Iran’s Crown Prince Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. It was the first royal wedding of its stature to have been filmed in the Middle East. The wedding had interlocked the two of the Middle East’s most prominent nations in a strategic alliance. At that time, thousands had attended the event at Cairo’s Abdeen Palace. The wedding also showcased the two nations’ civilizations. 

Princess Fawzia was the eldest sister of King Farouk I, Egypt’s last monarch, and was just 17 years old when she married Pahlavi, who two years later, ascended to the throne and became Shah of Iran. However, Fawzia appealed for divorce in 1945, and the divorce was recognized by Tehran in 1948.

Forty years after the wedding, Pahlavi was overthrown in an Islamic revolution which was the turning point of Iranian relations with Arab states. This feud is known as the longest between Iran and an Arab country in modern times. And it remains to be seen if this dispute can end any time soon.