Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said in a press conference on Tuesday with his Bahraini counterpart that Egyptian-Iranian relations remain severed. The Bahraini foreign minister, Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, is accompanying King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa on an official visit to Cairo, Egypt’s state-run news agency MENA reported. The visit will last for two days. “We always call on it [Iran] to stop intervening in Arab countries’ internal affairs,” Shoukry said during the joint press conference. “We reject attempts by some countries to incite sectarian strife and discord,” he added. On his part, the Bahraini foreign minister said that “Egypt’s stances have always been supportive of Bahrain’s sovereignty against Iranian interference.” “We discussed with Egypt points related to preserving Arab national security.” Analysts believe that the Middle East region is witnessing a struggle over regional influence between Sunni-led countries, including members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and Shi’ite rivals led by Iran. Tensions have escalated since the United Nations lifted in January long-standing economic sanctions on Iran against the backdrop of a landmark nuclear deal reached between Tehran and world powers. Bahrain, whose Shi’ite majority staged massive protests against the government in…
