Shoukry heads to Iran to attend Raisi’s funeral

Shoukry makes first ever trip to Iran to mourn passing of late president: Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry was in Tehran yesterday to attend the funeral of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi after he died in a helicopter crash on Sunday, according to a ministry statement. This marks the first visit by an Egyptian foreign minister to Iran since 1979.

Remember: Egypt and Iran have been in talks for some time now about normalizing ties and reopening embassies, as part of a wider Iranian diplomatic push to mend relations with the Arab world. Raisi called President Abdel Fattah El Sisi to congratulate him on a third term in office in December.