Egypt's Morsi 'did not discuss boosting ties with Iran'

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi made no mention of resuming ties with Iran during a recent visit to Tehran, his spokesman Yassir Ali said on Sunday, denying statements by Iranian officials. "The meeting between President Mohamed Morsi and his Iranian counterpart (Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad did not broach the subject of boosting the level of representation or of opening an embassy," said Ali, quoted by the state-owned daily Al-Ahram. Morsi's attendance of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Tehran was the first time an Egyptian head of state had set foot in Iran since the two countries broke off diplomatic ties in the wake of the 1979 Islamic revolution there. The two countries have since maintained interests sections in their respective capitals. According to Ali, the two leaders agreed to hold "more dialogue to examine common affairs, including regional issues." On Thursday, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian told Iran's Arabic-language broadcaster Al-Alam that during their meeting, Morsi and Ahmadinejad discussed the Syrian conflict and their severed diplomatic ties. The Islamic republic had several times sought to normalise relations with Egypt since the overthrow of president Hosni Mubarak in 2011. Morsi hails from Egypt's powerful Muslim Brotherhood and says he is seeking broader relationships in the Middle East, including with Tehran. But he has so far reacted with caution to Iran's overtures.