Egypt's delicate balancing act in the Iran war
The conflict between the US , Israel and Iran has pushed regional heavyweight Egypt into a diplomatic and strategic dilemma. Egypt is not only a close ally of the US and Gulf states — it is a signatory to the 1979 Camp David Accords with Israel — but was also on the verge of res
The conflict between the US , Israel and Iran has pushed regional heavyweight Egypt into a diplomatic and strategic dilemma.
Egypt is not only a close ally of the US and Gulf states — it is a signatory to the 1979 Camp David Accords with Israel — but was also on the verge of restoring full diplomatic ties with Iran in early 2026.
Cairo's tightrope walk has so far included publicly condemning Iranian attacks on Gulf states while offering limited military support. It has sought to position itself as a mediator between Tehran and Washington , alongside parallel efforts by Pakistan , Turkey and Qatar . President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi also visited the United Arab Emirates in May.
" Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi views the conflict primarily as a threat to domestic stability," Michelle Pace, a Middle East analyst and academic visitor at the University of Oxford, told DW. "Egypt's core objective is to stay out of the Iran war while containing its economic and security fallout."
However, this approach has caused tensions with Egypt's Gulf partners, who expect support from their allies in the face of Iranian attacks on their territories, interests and assets, Timothy E. Kaldas, deputy director of the Washington-based Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, told DW.
"There are not very subtle statements coming particularly from the United Arab Emirates that indicate frustration and anger with Egypt," he said.
For example, Anwar Gargash, foreign policy adviser to the UAE presidency, recently wrote on X that "The Arab Gulf states have been a support and partner to all in times of prosperity … so where are you today in this time of hardship?" Regional analysts understand the statement was directed at Cairo.
Egypt , the most populous Arab nation with around 120 million people, also feels the the economic ripple effects of the war with Iran. After the Iran-aligned Houthi militia in Yemen resumed attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait in support of Iran, traffic through Egypt's Suez Canal was reduced . A recent analysis by the International Crisis Group found that Suez Canal revenues fell by 38% in the first quarter of 2026.
