Egypt could help complete puzzle of Iran’s diplomatic efforts
By Ebrahim Beheshti
Staff writer
Since taking office in August, the Iranian government has faced a string of surprise events, including the assassination of Hamas’s political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, intensified Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon, the assassination of Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah along with an Iranian military advisor in Lebanon, as well as Iran’s missile strikes on targets in Israel.
These developments, which reflect escalating tensions in the region, particularly between Iran and Israel, could have pushed the Iranian government’s key foreign policy mantra of “constructive engagement with the world” to the sidelines. However, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the government of President Masoud Pezeshkian have simultaneously taken necessary defense measures and pursued active diplomacy in response to external threats, which appears to have been successful so far.
Following Iran’s missile strikes on Israel in response to the assassinations, Pezeshkian visited Qatar, where he held talks with officials to de-escalate tensions in the region, despite the possibility of an Israeli response. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi flew to Beirut amid the crisis in Lebanon and daily Israeli attacks, to launch a series of intensive talks aimed at easing tensions and expressing support for the Lebanese government and people. He then traveled to Syria and later to Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
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