From Bahrain to Egypt; The domino of normalizing relations between Iran and the countries of the region
Mehr News, Intergroup International: After the normalization of diplomatic relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia, many experts believed that this event was the beginning of a wave of normalization of Tehran’s relations with other countries in the West Asian region, which had been broken for years. They will pass. Of course, this prediction was not far from reality.
Since the end of last year, Bahrain has been proposed as the next country that seeks to resume relations with Iran; This hypothesis gained strength especially after the statements of the King of Bahrain both in the meeting with the President of China and in the meeting he had with Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin Palace.
In these meetings, the Shah of Bahrain emphasized on removing all the obstacles in communicating with Tehran and spoke about his country’s desire to normalize diplomatic relations with Iran.
This was not rejected by the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and especially in the 13th government, the late president of Iran made significant efforts to expand relations with the neighbors.
In addition to Manama, Cairo is another Arab capital that has attracted the attention of regional analysts and has created speculations regarding the normalization of relations between Iran and Egypt.
Nevertheless, it should be noted that despite the desire of the mentioned countries to expand relations, there are obstacles from the past until now that will make such a process face some difficulties.
Bahrain; From long-standing differences to drivers of improving relations
Bahrain is the only Arab country in the Persian Gulf where the majority of its population is Shia; But it is governed by the ruling Sunni minority. Manama’s close relations with Washington and Bahrain’s hosting of the fifth fleet of the United States of America in the Persian Gulf also showed the western approach of the Al-Khalifa regime, an approach that was against the principles of the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The difference of opinion in the field of foreign relations was highlighted once again during the peace of Abraham and the normalization of relations between Bahrain and the Zionist regime.
According to the mentioned events, there was an impression that among the Persian Gulf countries, Bahrain has the least desire to resume diplomatic relations with Iran.
However, some events have caused the possibility of improving Tehran-Manama relations to not seem so far-fetched. First, Bahrain, especially in its foreign policy, has usually moved in line with Saudi Arabia, and after the normalization of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, it is probable that Manama will join the wave of normalization of relations with Tehran.
The Gaza crisis is one of the other developments that paves the way for Bahrain’s convergence with its northern neighbor; After the blatant crimes committed by the Zionist regime in Palestine, now the cost of supporting Israel is considered an exorbitant cost, especially for the Arab countries of the region, so it is not ruled out that the authorities of Manama consider improving relations with Tehran as a desirable approach in order to balance things out. /p>
In the macro perspective and even before the Gaza war, the West Asian region has seen changes that have occurred following the reduction of the direct presence of the United States of America. Now, the countries that defined their security in only one dimension and dependent on Washington’s direct military support, will inevitably face the new post-American order in the region.
According to what was said and considering the foreign policy adopted by the 13th government in Iran, which was based on good neighborliness and expanding relations with its neighbors, Bahrain’s support from China and Russia With the aim of attracting their mediation in order to improve relations with Tehran, it seems logical.
Egypt; The latent capacity of ancient civilizations
In the very first years of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, several events put Egypt in the position of countries with which the possibility of establishing relations with Tehran was close to zero. After Mohammadreza Pahlavi fled from Iran, Egypt gave him shelter and this was the first factor in creating a gap that deepened as time passed. By signing the Camp David Agreement, Cairo put itself on the blacklist of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In more than four decades after the Islamic Revolution, the relations between Tehran and Cairo were never completely restored until the authorities of the two countries realized that the benefits of normalizing diplomatic relations outweighed the losses. have evaluated.
Last year, in a phone call with General Al-Sisi, the late president of Iran discussed the improvement of bilateral relations and the possibility of such a thing happening after the meeting of the two presidents on the sidelines of the summit of Islamic countries. It gained strength in Riyadh. In this regard, the meeting and conversation of the late Iranian foreign minister with his Egyptian counterpart on the sidelines of the summit of Islamic countries in Gambia added to the strength of the speculations regarding the normalization of Tehran-Cairo relations.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry’s presence at the ceremony honoring Ayatollah Raisi was the first visit of an Egyptian official to Iran after the Islamic Revolution and was considered a sign of the process of improving relations between the two countries. .
Last year, Haitham bin Tariq Al Saeed also announced Oman’s readiness to mediate between Iran and Egypt, and this was met with a positive reaction by the supreme leader of the revolution. He stated that Iran will welcome such a plan.
Improving relations between Tehran and Cairo is a win-win event for both countries. Following the increase in tensions in the Red Sea, the shipping situation in the Suez Canal has worsened, and now Cairo authorities consider improving relations with Iran as one of the ways to overcome this crisis. Iran has a close relationship with the resistance forces in Palestine, and Egypt’s opinion is that such a thing, along with Cairo’s mediation efforts, will help achieve peace in Gaza. Of course, Tehran has repeatedly announced that all resistance groups make their decisions independently and the Islamic Republic never dictates anything to them.
If Tehran normalizes diplomatic relations with Egypt, it will neutralize the efforts of America and Israel to isolate Iran in the region, and in the economic aspect, it will reach the capacity of Egypt’s market for exports.
After the possibilities of improving Tehran-Cairo relations were raised, the flood of Israeli criticism of this event has potentially started.
