Egypt fears escalation in Iran war would be more destructive

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty expressed grave concern on Saturday regarding the potential for further escalation in the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran. Speaking at the IISS Manama Dialogue security summit in Bahrain, Abdelatty warned that any new wave of hostilities would be far more destructive and yield no positive outcome. He emphasized the importance of learning from past mistakes and urged a thorough review of previous attempts to end the conflict.

The interim agreement brokered in June proved to be a fleeting success, failing to establish a lasting ceasefire or restore unimpeded shipping through the critical Strait of Hormuz. Iran has since put forth a proposal to Washington, suggesting the lifting of its blockade on Iranian ports in exchange for Tehran reopening the severed waterway within a week.

However, efforts to mediate a resolution continue to falter, with Qatari facilitators returning to Tehran on Friday for another round of talks. Despite their efforts, the parties remain divided on the sequence of priority issues, debating whether to commence nuclear negotiations or first address the blockade and oil sanctions.