TEHRAN- After decades of estrangement, Egypt and Iran are poised to fully restore diplomatic ties and swap ambassadors in the near future, according to a high-ranking Egyptian official.

Rakha Ahmad Hassan, a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, stated that an ambassadorial swap is probably going to occur soon.

He made the remarks in an interview with Russia’s Sputnik news agency on Friday.

He noted that ties between Cairo and Tehran have reached a new height with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi congratulating his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on his recent victory in Egypt's presidential elections.

This month, Hassan stated that the two heads of state spoke over the phone on a number of topics, including the reestablishment of diplomatic relations and the ongoing events in the Gaza Strip and the Red Sea.

On December 23, Raisi and El-Sisi agreed to “resolve” the remaining issues between the two countries.

As subsequently reported by the Iranian president’s website, Raisi congratulated el-Sisi for winning Egypt’s latest presidential elections during the phone call. 

He also called on Cairo “to use all its capacities to stop the Zionist regime's attacks on Gaza, start providing aid, and fulfill the rights of the people of Palestine."

The Egyptian leader, for his part, expressed his satisfaction with the opportunity to speak to Raisi, adding that "Iran and Egypt can play an effective role in establishing stability and security in the region due to their high historical and civilizational position and having diverse capacities."

In recent months, Iran and Egypt have been working to cultivate a closer relationship and heal longstanding rifts. 

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry convened on September 20 during the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. 

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani hailed the meeting as a pivotal moment in Tehran-Cairo relations, marking a positive step within Iran’s regional diplomacy initiatives.

In addition to diplomatic engagements, Iran’s Finance Minister Ehsan Khandouzi met with his Egyptian counterpart during a visit to Cairo in September. Both officials reached an agreement to establish a committee for overseeing joint projects. 

“The current level of relations between the two countries indicates that the exchange of ambassadors is imminent. Latest remarks by Oman’s ruler, Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, also suggest that efforts are being made in the region in this regard as he touched on the matter and the consequences that the rapprochement could bring about,” the senior Egyptian official noted. 

He underlined that the cycle of resolving regional issues will be completed by the restoration of diplomatic ties between Egypt and Iran, particularly in light of the recent measures to settle the Yemeni crisis and the rapprochement between Riyadh and Tehran. 

Hassan emphasized that Iran’s more active involvement in the Arab world will boost commercial interaction with Arab nations while also advancing stability and prosperity in the region.

Back in August, Chairman of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs noted that Cairo does not require mediation to fully reestablish diplomatic ties with Iran.

Speaking with the Arab World Press (AWP), Mohamed el-Orabi said that Cairo and Tehran are still in communication, but it is not necessary for them to be broadcast.

“It is very simple, it should not become complicated; Tehran-Cairo relations will be fully restored eventually, but Egypt has its reservations,” el-Orabi noted. 

The announcement comes amid rumors that the two regional powerhouses are holding behind-the-scenes talks and would soon reopen their respective embassies.

El-Orabi further noted that Egypt and Iran maintain ongoing diplomatic relations that have not been broken.

But when it comes to the re-establishment of relationships, he said, “determining factors” that are “unique in essence” should be taken into account.

“Iran is an active country in the region, and rapprochement with it is linked to other issues like the status quo in Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon,” the senior Egyptian official stressed. 

He emphasized that while it is challenging to set a specific timetable for the restoration of Egypt-Iran ties, progress might be made if any of the aforementioned concerns were to be resolved.

Egypt severed its diplomatic ties with Iran in 1980 following its welcoming of the deposed Pahlavi ruler and its recognition of the apartheid Israeli regime. 

Presently, discussions are underway between the two regional heavyweights regarding the potential reopening of their respective embassies in Iraq. Nevertheless, there are reports indicating that the Israeli regime is exerting pressure on Egypt to refrain from re-establishing ties with Iran.

According to Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth daily newspaper, Israeli delegates have purportedly undertaken covert visits to Cairo in an attempt to dissuade the government of President el-Sisi from reciprocating steps to restore diplomatic relations with Iran.