In an opinion piece published in Al Jazeera Arabic on Tuesday, Howeidi said that it may be too early for Egypt to start full diplomatic relations with Iran, but it is astonishing to see that some Arab countries are worried about the issue, as they have not expressed any concerns regarding Egypt’s relations with the United States and Israel.
Clarifying his stance on the subject, Howeidi said, “I am ashamed that all countries in the world, except the U.S., Israel and Egypt, enjoy normal diplomatic relations with Iran, (even Morocco has maintained the bilateral relations despite the existing problems with Iran).”
“All Arab states of the Persian Gulf have high level of diplomatic and economic relations with Iran, enjoying the highest level of trade transactions ($11-$13 billion). However, when it comes to Egypt, they condemn any proposal to establish ties with Iran, describing it as detrimental to the interests of the [Persian] Gulf countries,” Howeidi opined in his article.
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