Iran's push for regional domination gets Arab Spring boost

Ali Akbar Salehi, the Iranian foreign minister, announced that one of his deputies would visit Cairo "in the near future" and said that he would hold talks with his Egyptian counterpart, Nabil al-Arabi, in the Indonesian resort of Bali at the end of the month.

It comes as the two states prepare for the full-scale resumption of diplomatic relations in more than 30 years, a development that some observers believe could tilt balance of power in the Middle East in Iran's favour.

Mr Salehi boasted of a flurry of communications between the two capitals as they work towards an exchange of ambassadors, a breakthrough that has alarmed Israel, dismayed Saudi Arabia, Iran's long-standing rival for influence in the Arab world, and caused unease in Washington.

"Currently, many oral and written messages and phone calls are being exchanged between officials of the two sides," Mr Salehi said.

Under Hosni Mubarak, the former Egyptian president ousted in a popular revolution three months ago, relations with Iran were deeply antagonistic.

Egypt was the only Arab country not to maintain an embassy in Tehran, the result of a souring of ties in the aftermath of Iran's Islamist revolution in 1979 and Cairo's recognition of Israel that same year.

But Egypt's new military-led government, sitting until elections are held in the autumn, has signalled its willingness to pursue closer ties with Iran, and will take a more assertive line with Israel.

By establishing a foothold in Egypt, Iran hopes to advance its long-cherished ambitions of countering Saudi influence in the Middle East.

Shia Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia have long competed for domination over the region in a Cold-War style power struggle that has, until now, seen Cairo align itself with Riyadh.

But while Iran will revel in what one western diplomat called "giving Saudi Arabia a poke in the eye," the regime's Islamist leaders may struggle to capitalise.

"In the short term it will be a diplomatic boost for Iran to have an embassy in Egypt," said Meir Javedanfar, a leading analyst on Iran.

"But in the long term they will find that, rather than having influence over it, Egypt will be a competitor."

Egypt has said its decision to resume diplomatic ties only brings it in line with the rest of the Arab world, and that it will view Iran as neither friend nor foe.

While Tehran voiced its support for popular protests elsewhere in the region, it has given Syria "technical assistance" in the bloody suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations, leading to accusations of hypocrisy from many ordinary Arabs.

Its attempts to present itself as the champion of Bahrain's Shia majority, which have engaged in protests against the Sunni monarchy, have proved stillborn after Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states sent troops, with tacit western support, to crush the uprising.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/8503300/Irans-push-for-regional-domination-gets-Arab-Spring-boost.html