Iranian President Welcomed in Cairo

Photo Credit: Tasnim News Agency

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, July 2024

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian was welcomed by Egyptian officials and Iranian diplomats late Wednesday upon his arrival to attend the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, which begins Thursday.

Pezeshkian is “due to address the D-8 summit of heads of state on Thursday, which will discuss political and economic developments in the Islamic world,” according to the state-run Iranian news agency IRNA.

D-8 members include Egypt, Turkey, Iran, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Pakistan. All D-8 members also hold membership in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Pezeshkian’s visit is the first official Iranian presidential visit to Cairo since February 2013, when then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited the Egyptian capital – the first such visit by an Iranian president since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

In 2023, diplomatic efforts were reinvigorated between Egypt and Iran, leading to a series of high-level meetings signaling both nations’ intent to normalize relations. At present, relations between Egypt and Iran remain below the full ambassadorial level.