Egypt and the Persian Gulf from the Old Times to the Present

Despite its long distance from the Persian Gulf, Egypt has from the old times attempted to play an active role in the region. This article scrutinizes Egyptian actions in this regard, given the foundations of its foreign policy toward the Persian Gulf and the background of its presence. It examines the country’s activities in three periods of the first half of the 19th century, 1960s and 1980s to the present. This study demonstrates that following the Islamic Revolution, Egypt has persistently adopted an antagonistic position toward Iran and even it made efforts to take up Iran’s place in the Persian Gulf security arrangements. On the other hand, the country has undertaken actions for the intensification of disputes between Iran and regional Arab nations. However, the developments during the past recent years have led to the decrease in Egyptian political role and the Egyptians find no other option than to establish friendly and good relations with all regional countries in order to secure their economic interests.