Iran welcomes win by Egypt's Morsi

Iran on Sunday welcomed the presidential election win in Egypt by the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi, but made no mention of possibly resuming diplomatic ties cut more than three decades ago. "The Islamic Republic of Iran congratulates the victory of the Egyptian people in this election and the presidency of Dr Mohamed Morsi, and pays homage to the country's martyrs," said a foreign ministry statement carried by state media. Iran "confidently wishes the ever-increasing progress and success of the Egyptian people thanks to their mass presence in the political and social arenas." Iran's clerical leadership contends that the 2011 Arab Spring that toppled Egypt's pro-US president Hosni Mubarak and other Arab leaders was inspired by its own 1979 Islamic revolution. Iran cut diplomatic ties with Egypt in 1980, the year after Egypt's peace agreement with Israel. The ousted Mubarak had harbored strong distrust of Tehran, which he regarded as a destabilizing force in the Middle East. Although Iran's predominant faith is Shiite Islam and the Muslim Brotherhood adheres to the Sunni branch of Islam, Tehran has been reaching out to the organization in Egypt in recent months.